9-11 April, 2000

We got to Tom's around 10 a.m. to start The Big Project. First thing we noticed is that Tom's cuiser, Das Beast, is huge! Makes us want 35s on Sandy …

We spent Sunday through Tuesday in a haze of taking apart, going to the store, hunting down tools and making a lot less headway than we thought! We figured on spending four or five days up here. Little do we know, but it will take us two full weeks working everyday but one to get back to Carmel. Brian came by on Sunday and Tom was around all day helping out. We look quite forward to the week-day evenings when our friends get off work and come play.

So we broke down giggling and cackling in Office Depot when it took four check-stand drones, three checkstands and 20 minutes to buy a $2.15 piece of plastic. That was after spending an hour and a half going three miles on Highway 101.

Managed to work on the truck for most of the day, oh wait, no, no, that's not right. Managed to work on the truck for about two hours -- Beebee napping and fighting with her electrical project and Steve pulling the bolts out of the oil pan, without pulling the pan itself off and figuring out the final part of the alternator install.

Tom's wife, Mire, made us a wonderful Japanese fish, cabbage and goyza soup for dinner. Incredibly yummy. Brian Sullivan joined us and then the three of us drove to his house, had a few beers and watched Scarface (Steve thinks it's the best Pacino ever made). The movies they made in the early 80s are sooo slow! We had a conversation, Beebee updated the site and still managed to follow the plot line. How old is Michelle Pfiefer anyway? She looks about 15 in this movie.

We were lucky enough, however, to enjoy a great dinner with all of Steve's siblings, which made the day a good one.

Highlight of the day was going to the Dutch Goose with Karyn, Randy and Brian. The Goose is sort of a local hangout from Steve's youth so it was really fun to relax there for a few hours and enjoy an adult beverage or two.

Tuesday night though, we had a special treat. Brian Sullivan and some of his buddies talked us into accompanying them to the Jimmy Buffett concert at Shoreline Amphitheater. Great show. Beebee overindulged on the blended-rum adult beverages, but Brian came through later with some superb corn dogs. Jimmy was terriffic, playing all the faves and Steve got a T-shirt to boot. A very fun night, indeed. Thanks for the invite and the good company, Brian.

Wednesday was back to Sandy for Steve and Brian's futon until 2 p.m. for J. Not only did she wake up feeling a little dehydrated, she also woke up sick. Needless to say, she wasn't a lot of help to Steve or Sandy today. Very frustrated with the side-cover, Steve made a call to Mudrak and the guy told him there was no way to get it off without bending it. Had he only known that three days ago! Oh well, another lesson learned.

Thursday brought, you guessed it!, more working on Sandy and an even worse-feeling Beebee. Here's a shot from underneath Sandy before the oil pan went back on. This is where Steve spends most of his time …

Friday and Beebee's worse, Steve's a little sick too and we think we've got a couple hours work left on Sandy. HA. We (OK, Steve and Tom) finished at about 10 p.m. Ugh.

A huge thank you goes to Tom and Mire for putting up with us, being so incredibly kind to us, and for feeding us many, many times when we were cold and tired. Especially thank you to Mire for all of the incredible meals you prepared for us. She's a wonderful cook, who always made us feel very, very welcome in her home.

**A complete write-up of the work accomplished at Tom's is soon to come with lots of pics.

The whole fam was there and his big sister, Isabelle (almost 4), did a pretty good job of giving him the spotlight. The afternoon was warm and breezy -- perfect for the outdoor festivities.