Sonoma, California
March 14, 2013

Yesterday I planned to have lunch with a mountaineering friend who lives with his family in Santa Rosa. I arrived at the MayaCama Country Club at 11:10 am.  As I was entering this beautiful compound in the foothills of Santa Rosa, the engine in my bike came to a sputtering halt.  Fortunately, there was a Harley dealer just South of Santa Rosa.  I nursed the bike down the mountain to Highway 101 and barely made it to the dealer.  The mechanic diagnosed the problem as a faulty engine heat sensor. After 2 hours of work, he had it fixed.

The defective heat sensor

Despite this setback, the day ended well.  After the bike was repaired, I rejoined Ron, with his wife, Laura, and son, Ron, Jr., at the country club in the late afternoon. We enjoyed some drinks and good conversation. Ron & Laura have 4 children-two boys and two girls. Twelve- year old Ron Jr. Is planning to get his pilot’s license.  What a great family. Ron, who is a winemaker, honored me with a gift of a great bottle of fine wine, which I will save for a very special family event.

Today I plan to ride east to Murphy, in the heart of California Gold Rush territory.

Some of you know that my wife, Sharon, recently took a fall in the driveway and broke her ankle. The cast went on this week and will be on for a month. Real bummer, but she has lots of help and attention from family.

Life is good.  God is great.

Bill