We were at Del Paso Elementary this week. This year, we tested only at grade levels TK-K-1. Each teacher was also expected to test 1 or 2 students in their class, so team members also served as a substitute for up to an hour.

My favorite story of the week had to do with first grader Dhritesh (pronounced “dur-TESH”). We gave one test per day so I worked with Dhritesh M-Th. He was delightful, sometimes grabbing my hand as we walked to the testing room or hopping, skipping, and twirling down the hallway. Either way, he talked the entire time. Some excerpts:
Monday: it was such a fantastic tale, I couldn’t follow along.
Tuesday on the way to testing: “When I go to sleep at night, I turn into a vampire.” What do you do all night? “I play outside and have fun. But if bad guys come, I go back inside and get in my bed.” On the way back to class, “Don’t tell my teacher about the vampire.”
Wednesday: “The other Dhritesh is sick today and stayed home.” I’m so glad you’re feeling good and can work with me today. “The other Dhritesh wanted to be here, I will tell him when I get home.”
Thursday: “Yesterday was my birthday. My name is Davey now. I’m six. I had a party and got Batman shoes and a Batman shirt. Look on the back.”

Friday he spotted me, stopped and pointed and very sternly said, “You forgot to come get me today.” Thank you, Dhritesh for making me smile everyday.

My favorite card:

They sliced it up and gave it to people who aren’t fortunate enough to have a birthday today.

The card was from Jennifer who had to work in Southern California today and couldn’t come to dinner at Malabar. Sophia showed a very interested Uncle Justin her rock collection which she keeps in a small pink purse.



Always adorable and ready to pose.

My team of 5 worked at Garden Valley because none of the schools on my assigned list were ready for CELDT testing. CELDT = California English Language Development Test. Thanks to Val Sills for inviting us to join her team.

By Friday I had most of my schools scheduled. We’re off and running next week on our own.

It’s actually September 27. I was reminded by a faithful blog follower last Wednesday who said, “I check everyday and there’s been nothing since September 1.”

This is what happened: WORK! I started on September 2. Full-time, although teacher’s hours, but nevertheless. I can’t get nearly as much done. Oh yeah, this is what it was like before I retired.

So here I go, it’s Saturday morning and I’m sitting in a Starbuck’s.

Justin and I headed to the Garden Highway to line up about 2 hours before the start of the parade.

I was grateful when I was allowed to drive onto the Scheibers’ farm to use their big turn-around. Making a u-turn on the levee road would have been scary.

Riding with me today was Kelly-Jean, David, Katy-Lynn, and Trevor Rhoads. KJ was once a teacher I mentored when she first began her career (as a student teacher working full-time in a 6th grade classroom because there were no credentialed teachers available to hire), later we worked together at Westside Charter School. And KJ married one of my former 4th grade students at Rio Linda School, David. KJ went on to get her administrative credential and her doctorate. Just this year, she was assigned to be principal at Pioneer School.

Trevor dressed the part.

10 am – the parade began.



Thank you Jennifer, Sophia, Avery, Lenin, and Thais for coming out to cheer me on.

Also along the parade route, Val Sills with granddaughters Marilyn and Kat.

After I parked the truck, I was able to walk back to see the end of the parade as a spectator.


Thais, Avery, and Sophia rode in the fire truck back to Justin’s house. It must have been Avery’s first open-air ride. He told his mom, “Grandma’s driving too fast, my shoes are windy and my socks are windy.”

This was so much fun. I will now be looking for more parades to be in!

Yesterday was the car show, tomorrow is a parade and I’m going to drive #7. This is quite the experience for me. #7 is a 1947 fire truck hand-built by Les Crane for the Rio Linda Fire Department. It was (logically) the seventh fire vehicle in our community. This morning Tom Ray taught me how to drive it. I can drive a stick shift but had to learn how to double-clutch and turning corners was arm muscle-building. I was assured that the slight grinding of gears was quite normal. Tom also warned me about slowing down in plenty of time before a stop sign or light. I took every lesson to heart. On the way from Rio Linda to E Nicolaus, I had to stop at Grandpa Bob’s and take Kellen and Odin for a ride around the block. A couple of cousins and a neighborhood friend came along. Thank you Doug for standing on the back bumper and watching for very good behavior.

6:30 am – Yes, I was ready to greet vendors at Dry Creek Ranch House (yawn). A few classic cars were already in place.

Vendors setting up.

Cars arriving up to register – 147 paid registrants – the most ever!

The Rio Linda High School Jr ROTC practiced for about 2 hours before the actual flag raising ceremony.

The flyover was a highlight.

I don’t know everyone in this picture, but Ray Antonelli is holding the cane, Charlea Moore and Shirley Breckenridge are to the right. They exemplify the happy people we worked with all day.

Lloydene Wilden Cook stands beside her Ford Fairlane. Lloydene and I graduated from RLHS in 1966 and went off together to UCRiverside.

Bob Perryman had two cars in the show.

Ralph Hants took Joyce Buckland and me up to 30 feet in the lift to get some great shots of the entire venue. At the end of the shoot, I homed in my favorite vehicle.

At 3 pm, the awards were given out, vendors began packing up, cars began heading home. By 4 pm, only a few remained, our day was over. Well almost. We had a little barbecue for ourselves. It was a very good day.

This has been my personal story of the Classic Car Show. If you to see more pictures, you can see the RLEHS blog post at

… well actually, blogging on the RLEHistorical.org site is not as easy as it is here. Therefore I will put the link here as soon as there is something ready.

Tomorrow is the 9th Annual Classic Car Show, but lots of people were at Dry Creek Ranch House today getting ready. Tom Ray and Al Akins consulted while Emmie Makishima went back to work in the Memorial Rose Garden.

The main pathway for car registration was coned first.

The first vendor arrived a day early.

David Marquette pounded the post into the ground while Bill Antonelli, Dick Phillips, and Jim Griffin supervised. They told me it was a county job.

I volunteered to speak to this advisory commission about the accomplishments of the Rio Linda-Elverta Historical Society over the past year. The meeting took place at the Effie Yeaw Activity Center

which is also a California Indian Cultural Demonstration Center.

Phyl with Commissioner Bob Bastian.

I was so happy a few friends came along for moral support, including Emmie Makishima and Jeanne Akins.

Thanks to all RLEHS board members and committee heads who provided me with a year’s worth of information. You made this task easy and fun.

I talked to my dear friend Paula in Alabama the other day. She loves the blog, especially pictures of family and friends. She knows and remembers all of you who appear here. She grew up in Elverta and Rio Linda, and also likes seeing pictures of the town and its events. She and her husband Tom are members of RLEHS. On the phone she told me, “Enough with the Sudangrass!” When I told Justin the story, very seriously he said, “But they haven’t baled it yet.” This is the final post, Paula, I promise. Over the past three weeks:




Justin roughly figured Jaime got 3.7 tons/acre.

The second growth has begun, it won’t be as productive as the first.