RIP Billy Mays

I know he wasn't from Elsinore and probably has never been here, but I just had to say something anyway...






I really liked Billy Mays. He was so cheerful and clever, and he made me want to invent something. I am so saddened by his death, especially after so many famous people I had grown up watching have died this week. I was sad to see Ed McMahon go, but he had lived a long full life. And Farrah's passing did make me cry, but it was not entirely unexpected. Michael Jackson's death did shock me, but I have no comment about him.

But Billy Mays dying has hit me kind of hard. My whole family loved watching his show Pitchmen togther and he was truly one of a kind. I will miss you Billy Mays and your big bright smile and even bigger and brighter heart. He was not only a great pitchman, a hard worker, and a charming personality, but a genuinely nice guy. A rare combination these day. RIP Billy and I will one day be glad to meet you on God's golden shore.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-billy-mays29-2009jun29,0,6116879.story

Tampa police say Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50. Authorities say Mays was pronounced dead this morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.

Movies in the Park..after dark!

These are really fun! And FREE!!!

INFO...

Date: 6/24/2009 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Summerlake Park
900 Broadway
Lake Elsinore, California 92530


Summer is a great time to visit our beautiful parks here in the City of Lake Elsinore. The City will be hosting Movies in the Park; a series of films for the family's entertainment, every other week until August 5th. We would like to encourage you to grab the kids, a blanket, picnic basket and come join us at the park for some family friendly movies (rated G or PG). Along with the movies there will be games and activities for the kids to enjoy.

This week's scheduled movie is: Kung Fu Panda

Ahh... I was wondering what that big tent was!

Being as that I read a lot of Dean Koontz books, my first thoughts about that gigantic tent on Mission Trail headed more towards sinister circuses, captured monsters, and weird government experiments.

One can learn a lot about the truth of circuses, monsters, and weird government experiments from Koontz! :)

And then of course there is always one of my favorite stories of all time... I haven't been the same since I first read it at age 14. "By the prickling in my thumbs..."

But alas... The tent appears to just be a normal tent that is going to be used to house military planes and helicopters. I can't pretend I'm not disappointed... Call me crazy, but I was kind of looking forward to the whole freaky carnival invasion. I don't know if Elsinorians are fully prepared for earthquakes, floods, or mudslides... But they sure as heck are prepared for killer clowns! Not one doubt about that! :)

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Tent designed as aviation maintenance hangar

Anyone who has glimpsed a massive tent erected near the northwest corner of Mission Trail and Corydon Street has seen the world's largest rapid deployment aircraft hangar, according to its maker, Vertigo Inc.

Vertigo, which is headquartered on Cereal Street by Skylark Airport, specializes in a variety of technologies geared toward military and space operations. Recently, the firm put up the prototype for the latest and largest incarnation of its inflatable shelters, a model that is being developed under a contract with the Department of Defense, said its designer, David Cronk.

The structure was placed on the vacant lot in southern Lake Elsinore so it can be adjusted and tested, Cronk said.

Full article HERE

Christmas in June?

I suppose this qualifies as one of those "only in Elsinore" things...



About a week ago I was driving down Grand ave and saw a man in a motorized wheelchair riding down the street at a pretty good clip. In his lap was a full sized Christmas tree. I couldn't help but smile! :)

I didn't think about it again until this past weekend when I was picking my kids up from a friends house. On the way there I passed a house where sitting on their curb, apparently waiting for the trash truck, was a beautiful full sized Christmas tree still about half decorated.

Who knew that I would see two Christmas trees in the span of one week in June? Only in Lake Elsinore!!!

Lake eyed as firefighting tanker's temporary home

Good news for California! These fire planes are a huge asset to fighting the inevitable fires here in Southern California. I have watched them from my porch pick up the water out of the lake and head off into the fires... Quite a sight to see! These airborn firefighters deserve our prayers and thanks, because like all firefighters they rush to danger when the rest of us flee.
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Forest Service officials have hired the aircraft and crew from the Coulson Group, based on Victoria Island, British Columbia, to drop water and retardant on fires that might break out primarily within the Cleveland, San Bernardino and Los Angeles national forests under a 153-day contract that runs to Dec. 15, said company CEO Wayne Coulson.

Lake Elsinore is an ideal locale because it is near the forests and is vast enough to accommodate landings and takeoffs by the world's largest amphibious plane, which has a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 747. The tanker would take off from the lake and scoop up water from Diamond Valley Lake that would be mixed with a gel retardant to be dropped on fires in the national forests, Coulson explained.

"We can get anywhere within those target areas within 35 minutes," Coulson said. "That was kind of a guiding principle for us."

Full article HERE