PERSONAL: The waterman has fallen, the wave continues on (Part I)

*****UPDATE 9/13/2013 (from Tony V.)

Sunday 9/15/2013 9am is the paddle out. It will take place just South of the Redondo Beach Pier. I'll be bringing a flower that I kept from Bill Meistrell's 2006 memorial to toss into the flowers on the water at Bob's memorial. Seems kind of poetic to join the two twins back together for their departure from this world.

Reception to follow on Sunday 11am - 3pm at Seaside Lagoon. I will be there, and you can reach me on my cell phone at eight-oh-five 44 zero - nine 1 4 four (please call me if you will be there).

Soon Bill and Bob, the Meistrell twins, will be memorialized forever at Redondo's Seaside Lagoon. Its a great honor for them, and well-deserved, IMO. Below is the statue (click to enlarge).

To donate to the memorial sculpture project, send a check payable to “Redondo Beach Chamber Community Foundation” to the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, 200 Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA, 90277.

*****UPDATE 8/29/2013 (from Tony V.)

Above (click to enlarge): Ok, I "borrowed" this from the Body Glove website (link below). I'll give it back, I promise. Thanks for letting me "borrow" it.

Bob Meistrell Passes Away on June 16, 2013.

The waterman has fallen, the wave continues on. Join his family and friends for the traditional paddle-out to honor the life of waterman Bob Meistrell. 

September 15, 2013 from 9am to 3pm, just south of the Redondo Pier.
Please join us for Bob Meistrell's Memorial Paddle out and Reception. The Paddle out will take place just south of the Redondo Beach Pier at 9:00 am. Following the paddle out we will be hosting a reception at 11:00 which will be held at Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, Ca. 90277. For more information please email Kenna@bodyglove.com

All divers, surfers, and waterman welcome. Please feel free to invite all friends and family to this event. Body Glove link to this event on facebook (click this sentence).

*****UPDATE 7/5/2013: (from Tom T.) 

"All: I heard today that services for Bobby Meistrell will be held on Sunday Sept. 15th.  There will be a paddle out on the South side of Redondo Pier in front of Veteran’s Park and services will begin in the water at about 9:45 am.  Following the paddle there will be a gathering at  the Seaside Lagoon to tell stories about Bobby and enjoy a Carl's Jr. burger or a taco."

I am going to try and make this special occasion to show my respects for Bob's wonderful life. Hope you can make it also. Like Bill and Bob's life, it will not only be a chance to show "pay your respects", but it should also be a lot of fun, which is how they would have wanted it.

Above (click to enlarge): "borrowed" from the BodyGlove.com website. So beautifully done...

Above (click to enlarge): Bob, me, and Patty at a special event in 2006. Bob and Patty were always kind enough to stop, say a kind word, have a laugh, and take a picture with us, like this one above.

*****UPDATE 6/20/2013: Dive N' Surf just posted this article about Bob on their website: Body Glove Co-Founder and Wetsuit Pioneer Passes at 84.  The first paragraph of the article pulls you into the special magic of Bobby Meistrell:

"With heavy hearts the Meistrell family is sad to announce the passing of Bob Meistrell, waterman, adventurer and the co-founder of Body Glove International and Dive N’ Surf Inc. He had a wonderful life, and would have been 85 next month.  He lived his motto of “Do what you love, love what you do.” until his last day when he was on his boat, The Disappearance. He was coming back from Catalina as the lead boat in the Rock 2 Rock Paddleboard Race."

I also found this article at Transworld Surf that indicates that a book about the Meistrell Brothers will be out in the Fall of 2013 entitled "Fits Like a Glove: The Bill and Bob Meistrell Story". Here's a quote from the article:

"Bob and his twin brother Bill, who passed away in 2006, helped to create the 'Surf Culture,' which changed the world, beginning with their designing, manufacturing and selling of the first commercially viable neoprene wetsuits. Bob and Bill are two of only three watermen to be inducted into the Surfers and Divers Hall of Fame. This year Body Glove International celebrates its 60 Year Anniversary, and Bob and Bill’s presence will be deeply missed. Even though they are gone, their stories and adventures will live on in a book 'Fits Like a Glove' that will be released this Fall. Bob and his brother Bill, will always be remembered as true waterman, honest businessmen, loving fathers, and overall legends."

*****ORIGINAL ARTICLE 6/17/2013: I just got word via email today that California waterman Bob Meistrell passed away on June 16, 2013. Sad to hear. I will try to be down for the Memorial in Southern California if possible.

As one of the "little people", I consider myself lucky just to have known Bob - one of the most special people I have ever met. Somehow, he always remembered who I was, even though I left Dive N' Surf in 1992 when we moved to San Luis Obispo. There is a saying about "character is about how you treat a person who can do nothing for you." Even though Bob was a successful businessman and California legend, he always had a moment or two for someone like me, who could do nothing for him. Bob is one of those rare people who could light up any room, just by being in it. It is an honor for me to have known Bob, even just a tiny bit, and my life is better having known him. Though I do not posess Bob's charisma and charm, I strive to make other people's lives better because I walked this planet, and to leave the world a better place. Bob has been a role model and an inspiration to me, and I hope that the huge shadow that he leaves behind will be a role model for his kids and family. Bob definitely made this planet a better place, and that is the highest compliment that can be paid to anyone. As the Dive N' Surf saying goes, he "kept this ocean blue."

Everybody who met Bob (and Bill, his twin brother, who passed away in 2006) is practically guaranteed to have a Bob Meistrell story to tell. I am no different. Right now, it is hard to be sad that such a wonderful person has left this planet, because Bob did indeed live life to the fullest - perhaps more than any person I have ever met. Also, at 84 years old at his passing, it is hard to argue that he went before his time. This leaves us with all the wonderful memories of a person that will never be forgotten - ever. RIP, Bob. Blessing to all his friends and family.

Read more about Bob's life in this Daily Breeze newspaper article, "Body Glove Founder Bob Meistrell Dies".

Above: Tim (at left) with Bob Meistrell during lobster season, 2011 - at Dive N' Surf in Redondo Beach, Calif. (click to enlarge). Just like in this photo, Bob was always beaming.

Story 1: When I was the head Scuba instructor at Dive N' Surf from 1988 - 1992 (5 years total), Bob and Bill did not work regularly in the store in Redondo Beach. However, they were there frequently. Whenever they came in, I would panic, because I could not tell the twins apart, and didn't know what to call himl! Finally, Scott J. (store manager at the time) instructed me that Bill (almost) always wore long pants, and Bob (almost) always wore shorts - whew!!! Was I rellieved to find that out, and that guideline was (almost) always true! Eventually, I got to where I could tell the difference between the two, just because I got to know them both a bit.

Story 2: I also had the privilege of being on the first Catalina Conservancy Divers ("CCD") Board of Directors with an outstanding crew that included Bob. We always met at Bob's home in Redondo Beach, where he and wife Patti were the ultimate hosts. Those first few years were awesome. We were able to make several trips to Catalina with the new CCD, including 2 on Bob's yacht, the Disappearance.

Above: At right is my current boat partner, Bill, talking with surfing legend Hap Jacobs. Hap started Dive N' Surf, but sold his share in the venture to Bill and Bob, so he could start Jacobs Surfboards.

Story 3: Years after I left Dive N' Surf, when my boat partner Bill wanted to meet the Surfiing Hall of Fame and Diving Hall of Fame member Bob Meistrell, I called Bob up, and he was thrilled to meet with us. At this time, I was sure he no longer remembered who I was, but he still did. Amazing.

Above: Tim (at left) with Bev Morgan. Bev (along with Hap Jacobs) sold the Dive N' Surf business to Bill and Bob Meistrell in 1953 - the rest is history! [Yes, I regret ever wearing that dopey hat - I never wore it again, except to do yard work at my house]

Story 4: When I was the head instructor at Dive N' Surf, Bob was always supportive of the store's instructor corp (no surprise there). As such, he took us out on the Disappearance (Body Glove) Boat to Catalina on several occasions for "instructor meetings" (i.e., dive partys!). The Disappearance is loaded to the gills with aquatic toys, and Bob let us use them all: Scuba compressor (to fill tanks for diving), underwater scooters (just like James Bond, Jet Skis and more - wow, we felt like the luckiest instructors in the world. 

On these trips, Bob would dazzle the instructors with stories from the early days of diving in the 1950's and 1960's. Bob was like the West Coast version of Jaque Cousteau, but more fun! We also did some really stupid stuff while we are out there that I can't even mention. As always, Bob was in on all the fun with us. In fact, Bob was often leading the charge (see below), even though at that time he was in his 60s and we were all in our 20's or early 30's. 

Story 5: The first time Bob took the instructors to Catalina on the Disappearance, he pulled up to Bird Rock and told us to jump out of the boat and climb up to the top (what? are you kidding?). The climb to the top of the 35 foot high rock is up a hard-to-see crack, and completely covered in bird poop! From the crested top (again, covered completely with bird guano), you start your walk out to the edge. Because it is stinky, wet, and slippery, once you start your approach, you have to keep going until the cliff edge and ocean water comes into view. From the edge, you can't stop even if you wanted to, and that 35 foot high leap looks MUCH higher when you are the one doing the leaping - believe me. We all did it (including my brother Brian, who was invited along even though he was not one of the instructors), and it was awesome. Brother Brian has a great photo of this jump that I would love to post here (if he can find it).

Above: I found this photo of Bird Rock (Sue in the foreground). The jump spot is where the top of the rock meets the left edge of the photo, and the crack that you climb up can barely be seen in this photo, if you know what you are looking for.

Above: Bird Rock. Climb up the crack at the left cliff face. Walk to the high spot in the middle. Carefully walk to the cliff edge and jump off!

Tim Waag - NASDS Instructor 2558. PADI Instructor 50599. Bob Meistrell - LA County Instructor Number 1! Bob and Bill Meistrell received many accolades over the years, but I know that being LA County Scuba instructor number 1 was one of his finest! Bob and Bill were lifeguards, divers, Scuba instructors, entrepenuers, innovators, go-getters, but most of all, made you feel like you were their best friend. Now that the duo is in heaven together, we can smile at the reunion that they are having. Vaya con Dios, my friend.

Read this article in Forbes Magazine about Bob Meistrell: The Octogenarian Entrepreneur: Seven Lessons From Body Glove Founder Bob Meistrell (April 4, 2013 Edition). Bob is still making the news, right up until the end!

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NATION: Avoid Student Loans / Bring College Costs Down - Part I

*****UPDATE: August 19, 2013 - I emailed the letter below to our local Tribune newspaper on 8/19/2013; let's see if they print it! They did on August 23rd, 2013, and here it is (click).

Degree Innovation

 “In a letter-to-the-editor in June 2013, I begged our local Cal Poly leaders to find a way to reduce the costs of higher education to make it affordable to more students (and reduce student loan debt). 

Well, highly rated Georgia Tech beat our highly rated Cal Poly to the punch, offering a 2-year Master’s Degree in Computer Science in their Massive Open Online Coursework (MOOC) program. The cost of this degree? Just $6,600 vs. the $45,000 that Georgia Tech normally charges, as reported in the Tribune on August 18, 2013.  

Georgia Tech’s program is expected to attract up to 10,000 students from around the world. It will help address the nation’s growing shortage of qualified workers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. Anyone with a broadband connection will have access to some of the finest computer science instruction in the world. MOOCs are expected to become one of the most significant catalysts of innovation in higher education.  

Cal Poly, its still not too late to follow Georgia Tech’s move and be an innovator in affordable higher education in California. What do you say - is anybody listening?”

*****UPDATE: AUGUST 19, 2013 - Finally! Somebody is listening to my blog (yeah, right!). Highly rated Georgia Tech is planning a Master's Degree program in Computer Science that will cost only $6,600, instead of their regular tuition amount of $45,000! Congrats to Georgia Tech for responding to the needs of their students. They expect as many as 10,000 (!) students to enroll in this program.

Here's a quote from Georgia Tech's website about this new program:

“Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have quickly become one of the most significant catalysts of innovation in higher education. As parents know all too well, America urgently needs new ideas about how to make higher education accessible and affordable. This new collaboration between Georgia Tech, AT&T and Udacity, and the application of the MOOC concept to advanced-degree programs, will further the national debate—pushing from conversations about technology to new models of instruction and new linkages between higher education and employers.”

Cal Poly, what do you think? Want to give it a try?

*****UPDATE: MAY 30, 2013 - Update to the update: I did eventually find the article in the Tribune, just with a different title. However, for convenience, I am still leaving the scanned article in this blog below. Read on!

Unfortunately, the main problem is not student loan interest rates (as Obama suggests in this article at ABC news), but that education is so expensive that students are saddled with so much debt that they cannot pay back.

Tribune newspaper here in SLO on Thursday 5/30/2013 had an article in the paper titled "Poor expected to get hit harder by college costs" on page A4. I went online at SanLuisObispo.com to put in my comments, but could NOT find this article. Instead, I submitted a letter to the editor that is repeated below. Hopefully, this makes it into the Tribune newspaper tomorrow - we will see. In the meantime, I have reproduced my letter below for you to read.

My letter to the editor ran in the Sunday June 9, 2013 edition of the Tribune newspaper; thanks to the Tribune for running it: 

The rising cost of a college education has reached crisis levels for most families. In my opinion, the problem is created by upward pressure on tuition fees caused by decreased funding from the states, as well as the ease of obtaining student loans. The primary solution is for our institutions of higher learning to find ways to lower the cost of books and tuition.

This problem hits low income families the hardest, often resulting in paying as much as half of the family's income towards college costs. Taking on student loans may not be a wise option, as it leaves students with massive debt that cannot be dismissed in bankruptcy, and often stays with them for many decades. Right now, attending a quality community college such as Cuesta can reduce the cost of a 4 year college degree dramatically, but it is not a complete solution to the rising costs of education. 

I am begging Cal Poly to be leaders in reducing the costs of college education through low cost digital textbooks, online courses for undergrad lower division courses using part-time and/or volunteer retired instructors from our highly educated SLO community, and low cost co-op style housing. Anybody listening? Tim Waag, San Luis Obispo

Since the article from the Tribune (May 30, 2013, page A4) is not yet online, I have scanned it and put it in below (click to enlarge):

*****UPDATE: MAY 29, 2013 - Student Loan debt continues to reach all time highs. If you are in student loan hell, read this article from Consumer Reports: Managing Your Student Loan Debt. Consumer Reports Money Advisor (May 2013) reports on a Ms. McGrath, who at 55 years old still has graduate school student loans, and has had them for more than half of her life! Many students carry this debt longer than they ever thought possible.

Students! Do whatever you can to avoid getting into student loan debt in the first place! Go to community college; work more; borrow from parents, relatives or friends; go to the school that offers the most scholarship money and the lowest total cost - even if that school is not good as another one that you got in to. In the end, the debt will be difficult to service after graduation, and will prevent you from buying a decent car or a starter home, or go on any kind of nice vacation.

Wise up! There is currently no downward pressure on student tuition and book costs, largely due to the easy availability of loans. Heed this morning, or pay the consequences.

*****UPDATE: NOVEMBER 30, 2012 - Student loan debt across our great nation rose 4.6% recently, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal "Federal Student Lending Swells". Since just 2007, student loan debt has swelled by a whopping 56%. The bottom line is that it has become too easy for students to borrow money, saddling them with massive debt when the graduate, or even worse, if they FAIL to graduate. A full 93% of student loans are currently issued directly by the federal government, which ask little or nothing about a borrower's ability to repay the loan.

Potential student loan qualification requirements might include looking at the following factors BEFORE issuing a student loan: * current debt level, * credit score, * academic history including GPA, * expected graduation date, * expected graduation major, * job prospects after graduation.

RECOMMENDATIONS: First, students and parents should TOGETHER assess their education strategy, and think carefully about the impact an student loans will have on both of their future financial lives. Second, lenders should be screening potential lenders for their ability to repay the loan; it is in the best interest of BOTH the borrower and the lender that this is done. Lending to a student who cannot repay does the student no favors, as the debt quickly snowballs when repayment is not made, and the fines, late fees and interest stack up rapidly. Remember, student debt is difficult or impossible to discharge in bankruptcy.

****UPDATE: OCTOBER 27, 2012 - Easy-to-get Federal and Private student loans not only drive up the cost to attend college (think about it!), they are also at the forefront of an epidemic even worse than students graduating with huge debt: parent co-signers of student loans are increasing on the hook for payment. I found a good article ("Peril for Older Parents: Student Loans They Co-Signed") about this today.

Empty nest parents are under increasing financial stress, as their older children move home when they can't find a decent paying job, or any job at all! Trying to help their kids, they co-signed for student loans that they never dreamed their children would never be able to pay back. The stats are frightening: at the beginning of 2012, 2,200,000 (2.2 Million) Americans over 60 years of age were on the hook for $43,000,000,000 (that's $43 Billion with a "B") in student loan debt, up from a mere $17,000,000,000 (uh, $17 Billion) in 2007.

I personally have a relative in that situation, and it is ugly - believe me. Neither the parent nor the child can pay back the loan, and so have defaulted. The result is that fines and penalties have pushed up the amount owed into six figures (that's more than $100,000 - one hundred thousand dollars). The numbers are staggering, and a tragic anchor placed around the college students neck, as well as their co-signer parent.

RECOMMENDATION: Avoid student debt like the plague, students! Go to an affordable Junior College for 2 years if necessary, then go to an affordable 4 year school. REFUSE to take on any loans, and get used to juggling a PAYING job and school at the same time. When you graduate debt-free, you'll be glad that you did. Please pay attention to this - thanks! Once again - shame on colleges that are not FIGHTING to reduce the cost of a college education at their schools.

*****UPDATE: JULY 14, 2012 -  Despite modest cutbacks to professors and staff at CSU and UC, newly appointed University Presidents are getting substantial raises. Though not significant from an overall budget perspective, the raises are rife with symbolism. At college, symbolism matters. Newly appointed college presidents are being paid significantly higher salarys than their predecessors. Just 1 example: At CSU, newly appointed President Dianne Harrison is receiving a new salary of $324,500 - an increaase of $54,185 more than her predecessor. President Harrison will also be getting a house rent-free, moving expenses, and a $12,000 yer year car allowance. It all fits within CSU's compensation guidelines, but doesn't anyone out there know that we are in a fiscal crisis in California? We were brought up to believe that every penny counts ("a penny saved is a penny earned") and that if we are EVER to get out of this fiscal insanity, everyone has to pitch in, including our education leaders. Disappointing move, CSU. Try thinking again (or thinking at all).

*****UPDATE JULY 8, 2012: The Tribune noted on their front page article, Politicians rush to tax us more for higher education, that Gov. Brown would hold down UC and Cal State Tuition costs, if we only voted for his tax increase in November 2012. Some folks (Calif. Republican legislators) see it as a crass move to use students for their own political needs. Others (students, UC administrators) see it as a motivating force go vote in November to support the measure. Clever political move by Brown to get what he wants, by holding UC and Cal State tuition increases over our heads like a guillotine. There is nothing here that holds down the actual costs of higher education. Period.

An article in the Wall Street Journal on June 28, 2012 entitled "How About a 3 Year BA?" baited me into comment. Reducing the cost of college should not be about a 4 or 5 year to 3 year cram-down. Many of us have learned that in education, cramming is, at best, a temporary injection of knowledge. Rather, we should be looking at ways to REDUCE the expense of college through savings efficiency, not a get-it-done-quick cramdown, as proposed by the WSJ article above.

Take the popular subject of Calculus: as a person with a BS and MS in Math, I know a little about this subject. Since Newton and Leibniz, Calc has not changed much in the last 500 or 600 years, not to mention in the 35 years (1977) since I first took the subject. I still have my Calc books from UCLA, and I bet they would have been perfectly suitable for use in teaching my oldest son in the his Calculus class at UCDavis. Yet, new and more expensive textbooks keep coming out, burdening college students with this significant growing cost. How about online Calculus texts at a fraction of the price, plus save a few trees (not to mention sore backs from hauling the swollen, bulging texts around campus). Do we really need a professor with a Ph.D. in Math to teach such a course at all? How about the math TA (no doubt a budding Math Ph.D. themself), who should be fully prepared by now to teach a baby Calc class to the Freshman and Sophmores. In fact, why meet in a class at all, except for exams? Would an online lecture with classmates signed in via video or audio conferencing work for such a basic, introductory class? Could the school charge less for such a class, and pass the savings on to the students? I could go on, but you get the point: as far as I can tell, this is not happening anywhere, and CERTAINLY not at UCDavis and UCSanta Barbara, where my sons attend.

*****Simple background facts and reality checks to back up my motivation for this post.

BACKGROUND FACT 1: Back when we went to college at UCLA (1977 - 1982), I was abled to work my way through college, as did many other students. In other words, I could go to school full time AND work enough hours (including summer and school breaks) to pay every penny of my living expenses and college expenses. That included: food, apartment, utility bills, car with insurance, tuition, fees, etc.

BACKGROUND FACT 2: Since my oldest son started attending UCDavis in 2008, his tuition fees have DOUBLED! They went from approximately $7,500 to just under $15,000 in a mere 4 years. Though he held many jobs while attending UCDavis, they payed poorly or not at all. Most were unpaid or lightly paid internships, and there was no way they could pay for the same items as I did at UCLA. In my estimation, today you would need a job that paid in the $25 to $30 per hour range, while working full time on all breaks, and about 25 hours per week during the school week, in order to accomplish the same feat as I did at UCLA. These jobs for college students simply do NOT exist.

BACKGROUND FACT 3: My oldest son graduated from UCDavis EXACTLY 30 years after my wife and I graduated from UCLA (1982 vs. 2012). In that 30 year time period, I was SHOCKED to find out that college academic life had not materially changed in ANY way since we attended. Still the same huge lecture halls. Still the same structure: Professor lectured, students took notes, and TAs taught a weekly study/homework session. You still had to buy massively overpriced text books - except that the text books swelled in size, weight, number of color photos and illustrations - and COST! Compare the computers in every students hands, vs. (in our day) a huge mainframe and text terminals in a computer room back in our day. Surely this vast new technology lead to equally vast efficiencies in student education? Nope.  As far as I can tell, the only academic efficiency from the vast computer power of the typical college laptop PC was online registration, online research, and a more time-efficient typewriter.

REALITY CHECK 1: The powers-that-be would never allow these or any other described efficiencies to take place. Those powers being the faculty, staff and administrators of our fine educational institutions, as well as the politicians that depend on their unions for political donations. Why? In my opinion, because preservation of self (pay, perks and pensions) outweighs the needs of the students. The status quo serves this group best, to the detriment of our students.

REALITY CHECK 2: There are many other factors, of course, driving the cost of higher education ever higher. They include: lack of university price competition, at least here in California, where there are few alternatives to UC and Cal State Schools, increase in the costs of maintaining costly recreation centers and facilities for the students (which did not exist when we went to school), an ever-expanding pool of need-based grants and scholarships which help the school's bottom line more than the student's, faculty research taking away from class time (this has always been a factor in higher education costs - most Science profs at UCLA when I went there spoke barely discernible English), tenure and excessive pay and benefit packages for life, and the apparent willingness of foolish parents and students to go into massive debt to pay for it all.

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NATION: Parents Know Best...Regarding Their Children's Education?

It seems that professional educators (i.e. teachers and professors) like to say how they are "all about the children", yet their actions often seem to say otherwise. It seems that the educator's job security and benefits trump any other consideration. OTOH, its hard to argue that parents have anything other than the best interests of their children at heart.

Parents Favor Standardized Testing: A recent survey by AP-NORC Center found that parents overwhelmingly favor standardized testing, both as a way to measure the progress of their own child, as well as a good way to measure the quality of both their child's school and their teachers. Read the AP-NORC parents survey here. AP-NORC home page - click here.

The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey was conducted June 21 through July 22, 2013 by NORC at the University of Chicago. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error overall of +/- 4.1% points.

Education union leaders have stood opposed to linking teacher evaluations with standardized tests, arguing it is unfair to punish teachers for students' shortcomings. They also say teachers have not had sufficient time to rewrite their lessons to reflect new academic benchmarks. Let's look at the poll results:

• 61% of parents think their children take an appropriate number of standardized tests and 26% think their children take too many tests.

• 75% of parents say standardized tests are a solid measure of their children’s abilities, and 69% say such exams are a good measure of the schools’ quality.

• 93% of parents say standardized tests should be used to identify areas where students need extra help. 

• 7% of all parents said they want to make it easier for school districts to fire teachers who aren't getting the job done.

• 55% of households with teachers said standardized test scores in general should NOT be used to evaluate teachers.

Having raised 2 children to adulthood through San Luis Coastal School District, and then UCDavis and UCSanta Barbara, we have some direct knowledge of the educational system in which our children participated. It was clear that the "better" schools in the district obtained higher test results. These results come from a combination of the students academic ability, their teacher's ability to teach, and their parents enforcement (or lack thereof) of academic discipline. The quality of our children's teachers seemed to have a significant impact on the quality of their education, though I have no way of quantifying this statement.

We felt that our children received a quality public education, both in K-12 and at the University of California. A huge key to K-12 success was parents enforcing respectful behavior from their student children towards the educational staff. San Luis Obispo county has a combination of low wage agriculture and hospitality industry jobs, combined with a highly educated Cal Poly SLO staff employee base.

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JUST FOR FUN! Catalina or Bust! (Bust!)

I always wanted to be one of those guys hanging out on their little Skipjack 24's or other small power boats Avalon Harbor. We've met them over the years on our trips on the Mako to Catalina. They'd invite us on their boat for a cocktail, and tell us how they are out at Catalina for a few weeks to enjoy the water and sun and just hang out. We bought the Striper in hopes of doing just that - this summer. Hopes dashed :-(

After a week or more of getting the Striper ready for our annual Catalina trip in August, boat partner Mark got to take it over there first. Unfortunately for Mark, he had some major issues with the boat, which he dealt with admirably. However, the problems required fixing back at the barn, and not out on the water, so we bailed on our portion of the trip. Oh well, maybe next year. Problems included: major fuel tank leak, hydraulic steering fluid leak, and engine water pump leak. We should be getting all of these things fixed soon. 

In the meantime, we had a week off of work. What to do? Where to go? We drove back home and did a quick turnaround (we were already in LA with all our stuff for Catalina) for a camping trip to Gold Country and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

This would be our 3rd trip to Gold Country. We took 2 previous trips with the boys, covering the lower 3rd of Gold Country first, followed a few years later by the middle section of Gold Country. This time, we'd be hitting the upper third of Gold Country - from Placerville (aka Hangtown) and north. After a few days, this was a bust for us. Too boring and repetitive, and oriented for tourists. No real opportunities for exploring old mining areas, except when we trespassed on private property.

The only kinda fun stuff was exploring the old Gold Rush era cemeteries, like this one above.

We had previously visited Lassen Volcanic National Park for a few days, and we decided to make the 5 hour drive from Gold Country up to Lassen and give it a shot. We discovered this unique and uncrowded corner of Lassen called Warner Valley and Drakesbad Guest Ranch (hot water baths). We stayed at the uncrowded Warner Valley campground with a site overlooking the Hot Water Creek (which was really cold). We did a hike every day, along well-groomed trails to interesting sites. The weather was mild, with a daily high around 75 degrees. The altitude was mild as well, at about 5,700 feet of elevation. Our favorite trip photos will tell the story of how our cancelled Catalina vacation was saved by Lassen.

Above: Devil's Kitchen Geothermal area.

Above: Drake's Lake (Tim swam across it - it was shallow and warm, at about 78 degrees).

Above: Drakesbad allows a limited number of reservations for breakfast, lunch or dinner for non-guests of the Drakesbad Guest Ranch. We took advantage of the al fresco dinner one night (waiter Joseph serves us some great Prime Rib!).

Above: we have another couple snap a picture of us on the trail.

Above: Crystal clear creek water.

Above: the 98 degree swimming pool at Drakesbad Guest Ranch that we enjoyed each evening after a day of hiking. Not bad!

Above: the terminus of one day of hiking was the "Terminal Geyser".

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