As many of you know after losing about 150 pounds, I opened an on-line supplement store called GetSeriousNutrition.com.  The recession hit hard and I closed the website back in 2011.  I recently spoke with a friend of mine, Dr. John Fitzgerald.  Many of you might know him as the Blood Doc, for his work in analyzing professional athlete’s blood work and guiding their nutrition based upon their blood samples.   ( a little backstory…..  http://fixingrick.blogspot.com/2009/08/meeting-blood-doc.html , http://fixingrick.blogspot.com/2009/08/consulting-blood-doc-part-1.html , http://fixingrick.blogspot.com/2009/08/consulting-blood-doc-part-2.html )

http://mynutritionadvisor.com/?coupon=GetSeriousJohn turned me on to a new company called My Nutrition Advisor.  Well I’ve got to say, I was so impressed that I’ve now become an affiliate, and GetSeriousNutrition lives again!  If you click on the link, you will automatically get 5% off and start earning 2% back in the rewards program.  Check it out!

Santa Cruz Haunted Tour

Last weekend, Kelly and I had an adventure.  We went on a Haunted Tour of Santa Cruz.

The adventure started when we saw an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.  The article said that a new business was starting up, providing haunted tours of Santa Cruz.  It said the tours would be every Friday and Saturday night, originating on the Santa Cruz Wharf, on the deck behind the Ideal Bar and Grill.  The article also had a link to their website,  http://www.santacruzhauntedtours.com.

I went to the website and checked it out.   It turns out that the tour is a new business venture, started by a 16 year old girl, fascinated by history and stories of the macabre.  The more we read about the tour, the more excited we became.  We decided that come Friday, the first day of the tour, we should give it a try.

Friday night came around and both Kelly and I were tired.  I had just had a series of spinal epidural injections on Wednesday, and an MRI on Thursday.  It was cold outside, and neither of us really wanted to go into Santa Cruz.  We had both been so excited for this adventure that even though neither of us wanted to go, we both felt like we just  needed to go.  It turns out that we are really glad we went.

We parked the car and walked towards the Wharf.  We saw the little sandwich board sign and followed it to a young girl passing out handbills for the tour. She directed us to the starting point.  When we got there, there were not a lot of people.  It actually turns out that for the first tour, there was just Kelly and I, the girl who was handing out the handbills, the girl who started the business and her Mom and Dad.  We were joined shortly by out Tour Guide.

The Tour Guide was a young guy, maybe 20 years old, and obviously very nervous.  In all fairness, it was the first tour, so some nervous-nous was to be expected.  I explained that I was a little hard of hearing and asked him to speak loudly on the tour.  He welcomed us to the tour, promised to speak loudly, and off we went.

The tour walks down Front Street, then up Pacific Avenue, ending at the old Santa Cruz Mission.  Along the way, you hear spooky stories about the area.  You learn about murders, suicides, murder/suicides, tar and feathering, lynchings, and even stories from when Santa Cruz had several serial killers operating at the same time.  The stories are fun.  You don't even realize how far you are walking, as the tour stops for each story.

The only bad thing with the whole experience was at the end of the tour, you have to walk all the way back to wherever you left your car.  For us, that meant we had to walk from the Mission, all the way back to the Wharf, passing a lot of panhandlers, junkies and the shady characters that make Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz.  I don't worry too much about stuff like that, but I wouldn't want my wife to go by herself or with a couple of girlfriends. 

I would still have to give the Tour a big thumbs up!  It was fun, interesting, educational and did I say fun?  Check out their website, then give the Tour a try.  It is definitely a fun date.



 

The New Home Gym

Welcome to my new home gym.  I know it doesn't look super fancy, but let me tell youi about it......

When my fight gym closed, I was kind of bummed.  First we had gone from a cool converted warehouse to sharing space with a Karate school.  Finally, the fight gym closed.  I checked out a couple of  places around town, but nothing was clicking.  One of my training partners from the fight gym lives around the block from me.

One day, while walking the dog, I ran into him.  It turns out that his Uncle actually was the owner of the Karate school our fight gym had been sharing space with.  He said we should start hitting mits at the Karate school, a couple of times per week.  We started working out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, before Karate class.

That worked fine for a couple of months, but pretty soon, the Uncle decided we needed to start paying tuition to his school if we wanted to hit mits there.  Well, I couldn't see spending $60 per month to work out twice a week without any instruction. That's when my wife Kelly had a great idea.  She suggested I clean up the garage and we could train there for free.

Now I had never believed garages were made for cars.  Motorcycles, tools and fun guy stuff, yes, but never cars.  I pushed the bikes to the side (both bicycles and motorcycles), I moved some tools, I moved some boxes and pretty soon I had enough room that we could hit some mits.  Phase 1 was completed.

Phase 2 began almost immediately.  I need to start coming up with some other exercise stations.  I already had a heavy bag and I already had a personal boxing timer.  I also had a jump-rope, a carpet, a piece of memory foam, and some perfect push-up tools, and an old  milk crate.  From all this stuff, here is what I made.

Exercise station 1 - Jump Rope

Exercise station 2 - Push-ups using the perfect push-ups and the carpet

Exercise station 3 - Sit-ups on the memory foam (also leg lifts and toe touchers.)

Exercise station 4 - Box Jumps using the milk crate

Exercise station 5 - The heavy bag

Using these 5 stations, you can set the timer and rotate through these stations and get a great workout, at a great price.

Next Up - Phase 3.  Phase 3 will add some weights.  I keep checking Craigs List for either free or cheap weights.  I would like to add stations for Up-Right Rows, Dead Lifts and Military Press.  The way this is going, I may even give up my membership to Golds!

Now the invitation.  I'm looking for someone to train with me, a couple of days per week (not Tuesday or Thrusday) who would be willing to help me workout a good program.  If you want to give it a try, shoot me an e-mail or facebook me.  :-)

Happy New Year & The "Fight Gone Bad" Workout

Happy New Year! 

I'm sitting here on Sunday, January 2nd, contemplating  about going back to work tomorrow.  You see I've been off work since December 24th with a combination of Holiday and Furlough time.   As I stretch, I notice that the back of my thighs are still a little tight from a workout I did on Tuesday. 

On Tuesday, I went to visit Aaron.  Aaron was my Personal Trainer when I first had weight loss surgery.  He was also one of my Son's best friends, and actually like another one of my kids.  The guys is like a Son to me.  Earlier this year, Aaron and his wife opened up their own gym.  It'sa 4,500 square foot facility called Amity CrossFit and is located up in Palo Alto.

When  I got there I was just in time for their lunchtime class.  Today the workout was going to be the "Fight Gone Bad" workout.  Aaron tells the story about how the CEO of CrossFit was asked by  BJ Penn,  former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, to create a custom workout that would simulate a 3 round cage  fight.  Upon completion of this workout, the CEO asked  BJ how he felt.  The answer was it felt like " A Fight Gone Bad."

The workout consists of 3, 5 minute rounds.  Each round has 5 workstations.  1 minute rest between rounds.

Here is the workout:

Station 1 - 60 Seconds on the rowing machine
Station 2 - 2 Medicine Balls.  One placed on  the ground.  Start squatting above the ball, holding the other ball.  Stand up and shoot the medicine ball like a basketball against the wall.  Catch the ball.  Squat until you touch the ball on the ground.  Stand up and shoot the other ball.  Repeat for the 60 seconds.
Station 3 - Dead Lift up to an upright row.  With an Olympic bar and weights resting on the ground, do a dead lift.  Once the bar is at your waist, pull it up to your chin, keeping it close to your body.  Put the weight on the ground and repeat for the 60 seconds.
Station 4 - Jump Ups/Step Ups.  Standing in front of a 24" tall box.  Either Step up, one leg at a time then step down, or jump up onto the box and jump down.  Repeat for the full 60 seconds
Station 5 - Military Hybrid.  Using an Olympic bar resting on the ground, pick it up and do a military press.  Once you complete the first one continue cranking them out for the final 60 seconds.  Keep the bar close and use your legs to push the bar overhead.

Believe me, the workout is much harder than  it sounds.

If you are in the Palo Alto area and want a great workout, checkout Amity Crossfit,  Aaron will take good care of you, and be sure and tell him Uncle Rick sent  you!

New Science or Snake Oil?

There was a time if someone told you that they could put an electronic device over your finger and have it tell you the oxygen saturation of your body, nobody would have believed you.  They would ha e called it ridiculous, junk science or even snake oil.  Now whenever I go to the Doctor for just about anything, they take my blood pressure, my pulse, and then they put a device on  my finger to measure my oxygen saturation.  It has become that common  now.

The other day, I  got a call  from the Blood Doc, John Fitgerald (http://www.drjohnfitzgerald.com).  The Blood Doc is a guy I met while attending  a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training camp at Xtreme Couture. The Blood Doc specializes in analyzing the blood of professional fighters, and other elite athletes.  After analyzing the blood work, he identifies what supplements you should take to be at peak performance.  He also works with Xtreme Couture Athletic Pharmaceuticals (XCAP) in developing the most serious supplements in the world.

When I met John at Fight Camp, I didn't know who he was, or anything about XCAP.  He was at camp to talk to the attendees about how important nutrition is to athletic performance.  He also passed out some samples of an XCAP product called O2 Plus+.

O2 Plus+ is a vegetable based product that is used to increase endurance.  I was impressed with the product, so I talked to John.  I explained that I have had Gastric Bypass Surgery and wanted to make sure that it was safe to use.  He assured me that all the XCAP products, unlike most supplements,  are produced in a licensed  FDA lab, and the products would be safe for to use.  He also was interested in my surgery and offered to review my blood work.

When I got home from camp, I did some research.  I learned that the Blood Doc was pretty famous for his work with many professional fighters.  I decided to take him up on his offer and I sent him my blood work.  He reviewed my blood work and then spent about 90 minutes with me on the phone going over the results and made some recommendations.  My own doctor never spent that much time with me on my blood work, and never explained what the numbers really meant.  Anyways, to make a long story short, I purchased the XCAP products John suggested.  I loved them.  I never felt better.  I even went on to become an XCAP distributor and opened my own nutrition website, GetSeriousNutrition.com.

The stuff is that good, and John knows his stuff like nobody else, so when he calls, I listen and learn.  John called to tell me about some of the new things he was working on.  One of them, kind of blew my mind.  He has been working with some people to develop a new way of analyzing what vitamins and minerals your body is lacking.  The system is a hand scanner.  The patient places his hand on the scanner and the scanner sends data back to the Blood Doc for analysis.  Another version is fully self contained, printing out a list of recommended supplements right there.  Both of these devices are currently being tested and should be out before the end of the year.

My first thought was ahhhh snake oil.  Then I remembered the oxygen saturation sensor.  Hmmmm.  Kind of makes you think.  Knowing John, I think that this new device is going to be good stuff.  If you are a Nutritionist, own a gym, or a health food store, this might be a good tool for your business.  Give me a call if you are interested in this new product.  As an XCAP distributor, I'm hoping to have these available by the end of the year.

Before & After Pictures

Hi Everyone - I know it's been awhile. I apologize. I get caught up in other stuff and forget about my blog, but today I'm back, and I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to post pictures from before and after my weight loss surgery.

The first picture was taken June 18th, 2005, walking my daughter down the aisle. At this point I was 45 years old, had a 56" waist and weighed over 400 pounds.

The second picture was taken about 4 months ago, at Aaron's wedding. I am now 50 (ouch!) with a 34" waist, and I now weigh 245 pounds. I've lost and kept off about 160 pounds.

I really don't like to look at "before" pictures. It represents a tough time in life, but every now and then I guess it is a good thing to take a look. It kind of forces me to say "Never Again!"

Digging Up A Dead Guy - Part 2 of 2

Here goes part 2....

We got out of our trucks, and my client introduced me to the Coroner. In Monterey County, the Sheriff and the Coroner are the same person. It is a high level elected position so I doubt the guy we met was the official Coroner. He was dressed more like a Deputy, and was carrying a gun. We also met a guy driving an unmarked station wagon. The wagon was set up on the inside like a hearse, but with dark tinted windows. The guy driving that was just a driver. He stayed back and didn't want any part of this mess. He was probably the smartest one at this event.

Next, the family members get out of their trucks and walk up to meet us. I was taken back upon seeing these guys. The family members were two brothers. Each of the two brothers was covered in tattoos. I don't have a problem with tattoos, but this was a shock. These guys were wearing those white tank tops. You know, the ones that used to be call "Wife Beaters" back in a less politically correct time. These shirts showed off their collection of white supremacy tats. One of the brothers even had a swastika tattooed right on his forehead. That must have made him really employable. Not to mention the smell. These guys stunk. They had the sickly sweet smell pouring out of them. The smell of meth heads, mixed with extreme body odor.

These two guys really thought they were something. They came out with an attitude. I'm a big guy. I'm 6'5" and at the time I was pretty heavy. I wasn't yet 400 pounds, but I was on the way and probably around 300 pounds. I was a little bit intimidating myself, and I may have even had a little bit of an attitude. I really don't like white supremacists. Now the brothers kind of came up on me and got up in my face. I think they thought they could intimidate me and expected me to quiver. I didn't back up. Like I said, I may have had a little bit of an attitude as well. Here is how it went down.

Brother # 1 - You doing the digging?
Me - Yep.
Borhter # 2 - Couldn't you find a ********
Me - This is my job for today.
Brother # 1 - You going to dig fast? We got a long ways to drive.
Me - Yep, I'm planning on getting done quick and taking my kids surfing.
Brother # 2 - Just make sure you show my Mother respect.
Me - Shouldn't be a problem.

The guy with the gun was smirking. My clients didn't know what to think. There was testosterone overload in the air. The brothers just stood there and tried to stare me down. Finally, my clients said "Let's do this."

I grabbed my pick and shovel, and we all started looking for the right grave site. The numbers to the grave sites were on little rock markers, and in some cases, these little rocks had been moved. When we found the right number, it was pretty obvious that the marker had been moved. It looked like I was going to have to estimate where to dig.

I picked a spot and started to dig. Wow. The ground was a lot dryer and harder than I expected. I started calculating in my head..... 6 feet down, 3 feet wide, 6 feet long. Hmmm. This was not going to be a one hour job. This was a lot bigger job than I had expected. I began to sweat almost immediately. My tattooed buddies were starting to get impatient, and it was starting to get hot outside. Just as I was about to have to take a break, I hit something.

Back in the day, High Schools used to teach things like Wood Shop. At the time of this lady's death, kids in Wood Shop at Salinas High School build coffins. They built all the coffins used in the burial of people in the Paupers Cemetery. They did not always have the best workmanship and they never used the best materials. The coffins were actually built out of very cheap plywood. The thought being "who would complain?"

Once I hit something, I could tell it was the coffin. Now I had to find the edge of the box. That kept me going for awhile. At this point, my shirt was completely soaked, I was starting to smell as bad as the family members, and I was really, really tired. It was to the point where I was going to have get down in the hole to finish the job, but first I need to rest. One of my clients jumped down in the hole to keep things moving while I caught my breath.

As soon as I caught my breath, I got down in the hole. I brushed away some dirt, then heard a little sound. It sounded like a crack. The next thing I knew, the top of the coffin collapsed and I had fallen into the coffin! Just as I fell in, the smell got me. I freaked. I jumped out of the hole and became violently ill. I was heaving my guts like never before. The Coroner actually started laughing out loud. My Clients were chuckling to themselves, but the family members didn't find the humor in it. They started yelling at me to get back in there and to "show their Mother some respect!"

After a few more moments of getting sick, I climbed down into the hole. Just as I got in the hole, I hear a clunk. I look to the left and see a green bag, all folded up. The Coroner had thrown it in the hole with me. It was a body bag. The Coroner told me to "transfer the body to the bag and let's get the hell out of here."

I moved as far back in the hole as I could, and began to pry the top of the coffin off, throwing the pieces out of the hole. The body itself was tiny. The woman was probably no more than 5 foot tall. She had been burried in a cotton/polyester blend dress, with nylon stalkings. How did I know what she was buried in? Well even after 40 years, the nylon and polyester didn't break down or disintegrate. The leg bones were perfect inside the nylon stalkings, with absolutely no flesh.

I started the transfer by grabbing the nylon stalkings and moving the lower half as a single unit. As I started to transfer the body to the bag, I had to climb out of the hole one more time. A combination of the noises of the bones and the smells and the whole thing just got me. This time nobody thought it was funny.

I got back in the hole and finished transferring the body. The entire time I'm loading the bag, the family is yelling at me to show some respect. I load the bag and hand it up to the Coroner. I then climb out of the hole. I'm dripping wet and completely exhausted. I thought I was done. Then they ask me to help carry the bag to the station wagon. Almost done!

Just about then, the guy with the swastika tattooed on his forehead looks around and says "Lots of ********** in this neighborhood and I hate to waste a perfectly good hole." At this point even the Coroner has had enough of these guys. He tells them not to push their luck. He had them sign some papers and I shut the back of the station wagon.

After all that I was done, both physically and emotionally. I went home and took a long shower and a long nap. I never did make it to take the kids surfing that day, but man I had one heck of a story to tell.

Digging Up A Dead Guy - Part 1 of 2

Ever since I hinted that I might tell this story in my last blog entry, I've received a lot of requests from my readers to hear about the time I dug up a dead guy. Even I have to admit, it is a true classic....

I've done many jobs over the years. I've started and owned many business ventures over the years. At one time, I owned a hot rod shop called Phase 3 Automotive Technologies, located in beautiful Salinas, California. Well it started out as a hot rod shop, but I soon found out that tuning Subaru's paid the bills. I also found that when you pay your employees, sometimes they go on a drunk and don't come back to work for a couple of days, or worse, are found face down in a different County. Whoops, I guess I better save the Phase 3 story for another day. Back to digging up a dead guy.

After I closed up my shop to take a job as a sales rep with one of my customers, I found myself unemployed. Now there is an old saying among computer guys. "A good computer guy is never unemployed, just running his own consulting firm." I kind of followed along that line, and ran a small computer and small business consulting firm.

I was pretty lucky. I knew a ton of business people in the community. Many of my customers at Phase 3 were fleet accounts. It was an easy transition to move these folks into my client base. Business wasn't always as busy as I would have liked, but we always got by.

One of my clients was a "Memorial" business. They made tombstones, and provided services to the city for some cemetery maintenance. I had never thought much about how tombstones were made. I had assumed that some old guy with a chisel would hammer on a slab of granite. I was wrong. Tombstones are now high-tech.

A tombstone starts out as a chunk of granite. My clients would shape it to the desired shape. A rubber mat is cut so that the letters are exposed. The engraving on the granite is then done with a very high powered sand blaster. As the sand hits the stone, it etches into the granite where the rubber mat has been cut. It is kind of a cool process.

My clients had purchase a Sumagraphics digitizer tablet. This allowed them to lay out how the tombstone would look. They would then send the finished product to the printer. The printer in this case was a little different. It actually cut the rubber mat for them. While it doesn't sound all that cool now, 20 years ago this was state of the art stuff.

I was installing the device and kind of bs'ing with my clients. They were complaining that they were going to have to rent a back ho to exhume a body. I forgot the amount they were talking. It didn't seem that much to me, but they were under some kind of city contract where they were going to have to eat the costs themselves.

I asked them why they were going to exhume a body. They said that back in the 1950's a woman was passing through town and unexpectedly died. They city was unable to identify her or her next of kin. The city took care of her remains, and burried her in the city "Paupers Field." Forty years later, her children had tracked her down and wanted to move their Mother to a nicer final resting place.

Now my business was ok, but I was always looking for more money. I spoke up and said that I would dig her up by hand, and I undercut the estimated costs of the backhoe by at least a hundred bucks. "You would do that?" the guys asked. "Sure, how hard could it be?" I figured I would make a good day or two wages for about an hours work, and I could still take my kids surfing in the afternoon. It sounded like easy money!

Client: "Do you know where the Paupers Field Cemetery is?"
Me: "Ahhh no"
Client: "Well it's right next to the Chinese Cemetery."
Me: "Hey guys, I don't spend much time at cemeteries." "Why don't you just tell me an address and I'll find it."

This was starting to get a little weird. I didn't even know they had segregated cemeteries. Well they then told me it wasn't in a very good part of town, and we agreed to meet at their business early the next morning. They said I could follow them out to the cemetery, where we would meet the Coroner, and the family. This was going to be easy money. I could follow them out, dig up the body, and get out quick. They could deal with the Coroner and the family while I took the kids surfing.

The next morning I threw a shovel and a pick in the back of my 4x4 and headed over to meet my clients. I then followed them to the Paupers Field. When we got there, the Coroner and the family were waiting outside. This didn't look like any cemetery I had ever seen. It looked like a big dirt field. It actually looked like my back pasture in Prunedale, minus the nice oak trees.

My clients unlocked the gate to the cemetery and pulled out a little map. Since many people who were buried there were unknown, there was a small numbered plaque indicating the grave site. The family knew the number of the grave, so we headed off.

We got to the correct area of the cemetery and got out of our trucks.

This is where the fun starts. Stay tuned for part 2!

Pondering Retirement?

When you are a little kid you always dream of what your will be when you grow up. A cowboy, a race car driver, an actor, a cop, a fireman or a tow truck driver. These were all things I would dream of. Nobody ever dreams of becoming an Accountant or a mid-level IT Manager. As we get older, our dreams become more realistic. We take on responsibilities and settle into our jobs.

When we reach a certain age, we again dream about our careers. Maybe dreaming of a second career, like opening a restaurant, an ice cream parlor, or an auto repair shop. Sometimes we do these things, sometimes we just trudge along on our current path. As we get a little bit older the dreams move to retirement.

Ahhh. The joy of sleeping in, not having to commute, and not having to put up with all those crazy people at work. I admit it. I would love to retire. I'm 50 and everyone I know around my age feels the same way. What's funny is for the most part my day job is ok. I don't have to get dirty, I don't have to dig up dead bodies (that is a true story that I may have to tell in a future blog), and I make pretty good money. I have great health care benefits and an official retirement plan. My job allows me to enjoy a pretty nice life. Realistically, I don't see retiring in the near future, at least not from my job. Although I am going to retire from something.

I am officially retiring from sparring. I will no longer be sparring at the gym. I am continuing to have problems with my rotator cuff and I just don't recover as fast as I used to. It has been getting harder and harder to keep up with the 25 year olds. Don't get me wrong. I love fighting and competing against the guys half my age, it just takes me more time to recover and my body is starting to pay the price.

I'm going to keep working out with them. I'll continue to do drills, hit the bag, hit mitts and do all of the conditioning. I'm just not going to get punched in the head anymore and I'm not going to spar in jujitsu. While I am sure I'm going to miss it, at least I can concentrate on staying in shape and letting my body heal.

In the future, I'm going to try and be a little more consistent in my blogging. I've got some good things coming. I will be posting a new bag workout, a new cardio workout, and some good stories like digging up a dead guy.

Also a quick note on affiliate marketing. When you click on one of the advertisements on this page, you are directed to their web site. If you purchase something, part of the sales come back to support the FixingRick blog. Their sponsorship and your patronage is greatly appreciated! THANK YOU!!!!

Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 4 (Finale)

After tucking in the elephants, we finally made our way back to our tent cabin. We cranked on the heater and settled in for a romantic evening. Our tent cabin was called the Big Cat House because it is closest to the lion and tiger enclosures. That means we could hear the roars of our new cat friends all night. The roars were so loud, it would wake us from a dead sleep. Then it started to really rain. It just poured! Between the roars and the rain, it made for a neat night.

In the morning, we woke up and went on the front porch to watch the animals. From our front porch we watched the elephants get their morning bath. The trainers spent about an hour and a half, bathing the big guys in the rain. Once they were clean, they moved the elephants out to the playground.

The playground is several acres big. It contains a large pond, and plenty of room to run and play. The elephants share this playground with an ostrich, a zebra, and two water-buffalo. It was a kick to watch them all play together. The Zebra loves to run and play with the elephants. The Ostrich likes to run and run for no rhyme or reason. The Water-Buffalo just kind of tolerate everyone else. So we sat and watched all of this unfold.

After a little bit, we realize that Butch, the large male, isn't out in the playground. Pretty soon we see him and his trainers walking the trail, going from one tent cabin to the next. Butch was delivering breakfast. Pretty soon he was at our place and brought us a great breakfast. He also brought us treats for us to feed to him. Once again we got to feed Butch.

After breakfast we hung around some more than headed for home. We had a blast on this trip and would highly recommend this adventure for everyone!

Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 3

OK - In parts 1 and 2 I told you about our tour and washing the elephants. I even had some pictures of me hard at work, so I guess it is time for the next installment.

After washing the elephants, we headed up to our tent cabin. We were staying in the Big Cat House. The accommodations were really nice. We had a TV, DVD, refrigerator and even indoor plumbing. The exterior walls were canvas and the tent cabin was fashioned after the authentic African style. We got back to the cabin about 3:30 and we were pretty tired.

At about 4, the trainers take the critters for a walk. Just as we were getting unpacked, we heard them outside. They had a raccoon on a leash, and they were walking him around to all 4 tent cabins for the guests to see. He was very cute. After he went on around the trail, the trainers brought by another guy for us to meet up close and personal. This time they brought by a cappybara.

I know, what is a cappybara? Well it turns out that that is the name of the giant rodent. My buddy Roy sent me an e-mail identifying him, and correcting me. It turns out that he is from South America, not Africa as I had remembered. He also pointed out that he thought that this guy we have known for years was really a giant rodent, but that is another story.

As the trainers went to leave, they told us in about half an hour it would be time to put the elephants to bed. They go to bed kind of early, so in about half an hour, we went down to do our part. We got to walk the elephants from their pasture and back to the barn.

Once they were in their stalls, we got to watch them eat their dinner, then feed them their bed time snacks. For dinner, they all got hay. For snacks, they got some leftover donuts, some loaves of bread, and lots of carrots and apples. As they were eating some hay, Paula would sneak her trunk over into her neighbors stalls and grab some of their hay. As she was discreetly turned and eating the stolen hay, her neighbors would reach over and steal some of her hay. They would actually steal hay back and forth from each other, even though they all had as much as they wanted. It was a kick to watch elephant drama unfold.

Next we went back to our tent cabin to call it a day. The last thing they told us turned out to be great advice. "Turn your heater on early." Wow. It gets cold there, and it gets cold fast!

In the next installment I'll tell you all about the morning breakfast delivery. Just a hint.... breakfast is delivered by elephant!

Kind of like my normal job......

Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 2

Our tour started out slow, but picked up quickly. We started off watching a raccoon, but quickly got into some neat critters. We got to see a huge African Porcupine. Kelly even was able to get one of his quills that had fallen out. One of my favorites was from Africa. I can't remember what he was called, but he was the largest rodent. He had fur like a rabbit, teeth like a gopher and kind of funny looking legs. We worked our way through the animals. We got to see Gators, Baboons, Monkeys, Lemurs, even a Ferret. Two of the coolest guys were the Kangaroo and the Hyena.

After a couple of hours we finally got to play, one on one with both a lynx and a little monkey. Kelly purposely did not wear any jewelry to distract the animals. She did wear kind of a black and white animal print shirt. Even though it was black and white, the Lynx took exception to her shirt and kind of gnawed at her. Even the trainer was surprised. The monkey went a little smoother. They put a diaper on the little guy and let him climb around on us. He was a little snuggle bug. He climbed up and just cuddled with me. Kind of like I would expect a grand kid to do, if I had one. Hint, Hint.

Next we had lunch with a couple of trainers then headed off to meet the elephants.

Wild Things has merged with the Elephants of Africa Rescue Society (EARS). They currently have 5 African elephants at the facility, one male named Butch, and four females named Paula, Kristi, Buffy and Manilika.

After we got to meet the elephants, the Trainer asked if we were ready to give Butch his afternoon bath. We jumped at the chance. We walked Butch over to one of the special elephant barns. An elephant barn is huge, but what is really big is the coral fencing they have to use with the elephants. Posts and rails are not wood. They are huge pieces of pipe set very deep in concrete.

Kelly and I got to scrub him up, and hose him down.

I'm going to post a couple of pictures and save the rest of the adventure for the next post. Stay Tuned!

Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 1

Hi Everyone - I know, I know. Where has Rick been? Why hasn't he updated that award winning blog? Well... I dislocated and broke a toe, and I've developed a rotator cuff issue. I've had a cortisone shot and am currently in Physical Therapy. I've had to take a little time off of my MMA training and a little time off from the gym.

Last week was my 30th Wedding Anniversary. My wife Kelly and I went on a special Anniversary Extravaganza to celebrate. We went to a place called Wild Things, Vision Quest Ranch, Safari Bed and Breakfast. I know that is a mouthful, but let me tell you a little bit about this place.

Back in the day, way back when we lived in Prunedale, we used to drive down highway 101 into Salinas. Often times, we would see a guy out walking a lion alongside the road in the strawberry fields. I kid you not. A full maned lion walking on a leash.

Well it turns out there was a place in Salinas called Oxton Kennels. They trained animals for movies, TV, Commercials, and print ads. Working the animals was just a way to finance their rescue efforts. Kelly had actually taken the kids there several times to visit the animals. One of the highlights was a giant snake. That was probably why I didn't visit back then!

A few years ago, there was an article in the Santa Cruz paper about the opening of a bed and breakfast with a Safari twist. The owner of Oxton Kennels had moved out to 51 acres on River Road. He had expanded his rescue efforts and opened a Bed and Breakfast amongst the animals. Kelly and I had talked about going, but had never quite made it. The truth is I was so out of shape, I don't think I could have physically done it. I had told one of my co-workers about the adventure, and her and her husband went and had a blast.

Now up to the present. Kelly and I were looking for a short adventure to celebrate our Anniversary. I remembered Wild Things, and now being in a little better shape, I booked the trip. On April 19th we headed down to Salinas.

Driving up the driveway, we passed a camel, some ostriches, and some zebras. When we got out of the car, we could hear lions roaring. We knew this was going to be fun. We had booked a special VIP tour. A 4 hour behind the scenes tour of the facility. It turns out that Kelly and I were the only ones on this tour, and our guide was the head trainer. It was amazing.

I'm going to tease you a bit here. I'm going to post a couple of pictures and tell you more about the trip in the next blog. I promise stories about giving the elephants a bath, and tucking them in for the night. Stay tuned!