Cy and Malinda Gray 12-09

Carrie and Kids 12-09

Carrie and Photos

More various photos of Carrie and kids

Various pictures

Pictures of Winston

Gray Family Photos I

Airpark on 12-27-09

Gray Family Photos II

Cal Football Update and Perspective

Cal Bears Football Off To a Good Start

OK…so the critics said “they will finish behind the Trojans”. I ask, will they? This is a real good Cal Bears Football team. I was at the Maryland game, and the score didn’t really tell the story, as Cal dominated from the first quarter on. This past week versus Eastern Washington, another repeat dominating performance. This is a good team. On October 3rd we will be in for a “showdown” game against USC at Memorial Stadium, and if you do not have your tickets, forget it. Sold Out!

So what kind of a team is this year’s version of Cal Bears Football? First, they are very, very fast as a team, and the quickness shows up on both offense and defense. Their offensive line moves to the defensive line almost before the defense is set. Then, this group of quick backs, led by Jahvid Best, a legitimate Heisman trophy candidate, is through the line and into the linebackers and secondary before the defense can react. Really quick.

The defensive unit is equally as fast, and again, almost running to the ball as fast as the offensive running backs. In fact, on one sweep, the Maryland backs, and they were good, could not outrun the linebackers. These guys are quick and will prove difficult for every offensive line they will face this year.

The pass receivers for Cal were all over the place. Using multiple formations, it is almost as if the defense doesn’t know where they are going to come at them. Again, very quick and really hard to cover. QB Riley is greatly improved from last year, and he can choose between any one of the four receivers on most plays, and one of those fast wideouts seems to get open on almost every pass play. It is really fun to watch, for the receivers run as if they are “wound up”, with the corners chasing hopelessly, it seems. To stop these swift receivers is going to require a very fast secondary. Slow defensive backs will allow a lot of points, especially if Riley is on target.

Where is the team weak, is a good question. Probably in the defensive line, as they are not the “giants” that some of the Big 10 teams will field. If the opposing team is a big and strong running team, the Bears may be at a disadvantage. Hopefully they can make up for the size issue with speed, which they have done in both of the opening games.

Well, the season really kicks off this week with Pac 10 competition beginning, and in the next few weeks we will see just how good this Bears team is against good competition. My sense is that if they can keep healthy; keep the speedy guys in there; and avoid the injuries, this can be a championship contending team. And, they are really a fun team to watch, with a great variety of plays and sets…just a good football team. Go Bears!

Ron Largent

September 16, 2009

PAC 10 Report...Cal vs. Maryland Sept 5th

PAC 10 Report
Cal Bears Plays Maryland for the Season Opener
Ron Largent Sept 1, 2009
California will kick off its 114th season of football at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Maryland at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Golden Bears begin a promising 2009 campaign looking to extend current streaks of seven straight winning seasons, six consecutive post-season appearances and four bowl victories in a row - the latter two school records.
In the first seven seasons under head coach Jeff Tedford, the Bears' 59-30 record is their best seven-year stretch in nearly a century since a seven-year run under legendary head coach Andy Smith when the Wonder Teams posted a 57-4-5 mark from 1918-24. The team's 59 wins over the past seven seasons are also the second most in the Pac-10 behind USC.
Enthusiasm for the 2009 season is high in Berkeley with the Golden Bears featuring one of the nation's top Heisman Trophy candidates in junior tailback Jahvid Best and an experienced starting quarterback in junior Kevin Riley. A total of four players have earned preseason All-American honors and been named to national watch lists: Best, senior defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, sophomore punter Bryan Anger and senior defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson.
The team's defense returns eight of 11 starters, including its entire defensive line and defensive backfield, from a year ago. All told, Cal has 17 starters back with seven on offense and two specialists accompanying the eight on defense.
Cal Ranked No. 12 Nationally
Cal heads into the 2009 campaign ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' preseason polls. Since Jeff Tedford took over as head coach in 2002, the only time the Bears were rated higher in the preseason by AP came in 2006 when Cal was listed at No. 9. The Bears were also ranked 12th by AP in 2007, while they were voted 12th by the coaches twice previously, before the 2003 and 2006 campaigns.
For Openers
Cal has an all-time record of 70-39-4 in season-openers and has won its first contest of the season in four of the last five years. Jeff Tedford is 5-2 in season-openers as the Bears' head coach and has never lost a season-opener at home, sporting a 4-0 mark in those contests - 2002 (70-22 vs. Baylor), 2005 (41-3 vs. Sacramento State), 2007 (45-31 vs. Tennessee) and 2008 (38-31 vs. Michigan State).
Cal-Maryland Series Notes
Cal and Maryland met for the first time last year when the Terps came up with a 35-27 victory on Sept. 13, 2008, in College Park, Maryland. The loss was the first of the campaign for Cal after it had opened the season with two victories. Kevin Riley's 423 yards in the air were the fourth-most ever by a Cal player, while his 58 attempts (33 completions) set a school record.
2009 Training Camp A Success
California conducted 24 practice sessions over 23 days during a successful 2009 training camp that culminated with approximately 5,000 fans attending Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, Aug. 29. The line to get an autograph from junior tailback Jahvid Best extended nearly 140 yards at its peak.
Blueout
Fans are encouraged to "Be True, Wear Blue" for the Blue Out of the season-opener against Maryland at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. For more information, visit CalBears.com/blueout.
Cal Picked Second In Pac-10 Preseason Media Poll
California has been picked to finish second in the 2009 Pac-10 preseason poll of media members who regularly cover the league for the fifth time in the last six years. USC was the media's preseason choice to win the conference title for an eighth consecutive season (Cal shared the conference crown in 2006). The Trojans were listed in the top spot by 28 of the 32 voters participating in the poll, while Cal claimed three of the four other first-place votes. Oregon (one first-place vote) was picked third and followed by Oregon State, Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, Arizona, Washington and Washington State.
Preseason Honors
Cal players have received multiple honors prior to the 2009 season. The first-team preseason All-American selections of Bryan Anger, Jahvid Best and Syd'Quan Thompson highlight the list, while Tyson Alualu was an honorable mention preseason All-American choice. All four are also on preseason watch lists for various awards. A list of compiled 2009 honors is in the box on this page.
All of the above is from various internet sources, with no guarantee of its correctness, validity, or accurateness.

A Day in 2008

Wayne Wetter, the officer in charge of the Redding Corps of the Salvation Army was up and out of his home at 6 AM. First to the office to be sure that the supply of food and other emergency items were coming in to the Corps HQ, and then he was off to the Incident Command Post (ICP) briefing at the Anderson Fair Grounds. The incident, as we all know now, is the 3 week old fire burning in the Shasta-Trinity Mountains just west of Redding. Split up into a number of fires, the two big ones in our area are the Motion Fire north of Highway 299 just NW of Redding and the Moon fire, due west of Redding in the rural area of Igo and Ono. While at the briefing, he was told that a couple of large vans were needed to haul valuable art and historical items from Old Shasta, and within a few minutes he had arranged to have them driven from the Corps warehouse on Airport Road to Old Shasta, just ahead of one of the first calls for the closing of Highway 299.

I joined Major Wetter at 12 noon and along with a photographer from the Record Searchlight, we headed for Igo, with a load of water bottles, food, and some medical supplies in the back of our van. Arriving at the “Road Closed” blockade at Placer and South Fork Road, the on-duty CHP officer told us of some local folks asking about food and water, along with some nearby residents that were packed into their van there at the roadblock. We, in turn, got out and told all that were in that area that we had set up an eating place and rest center at the nearby Igo Church, and that all were welcome to come there for food, water, cots, and just a place to get out of the heat and smoke. The disabled folks in the parked van immediately took us up on our offer and followed us to the Church.

The Church multi-family hall, which was actually opened and stocked on Thursday, was a “safe haven in the fire area”. Maps put up on the walls by Cal Fire gave all a good indication of exactly where the fire was, where it was headed, and where it had burned. Many in the hall could tell us exactly how close the fire was to their homes, what they left behind, and how much they appreciated the firefighters fighting these giant fires.

Word got to us that there were some folks that had not evacuated that needed water and food, so off we went to try to get to their homes. Some of these folks just wanted to “stick it out”, and in one home that we aided, they had previously prepared their property with plenty of hoses, and large open areas between the trees and the buildings. But, they could not get in or out, for once they left their place, they would not be allowed back in. With their many animals, the choice to stay was easy for them. This is a tough call for Cal Fire, for, in this case, they were probably OK, but for others, such as those on Zogg Mine Road, the fire could easily overtake them and their property.

We then got the word that some folks in Ono were stranded, so off we went. The Ono Store, which is almost the “city hall” for this remote and rural community, was the meeting place at that time, and we ran into Sheriff Tom Bosenko and the Cal Fire Public Information people. Apparently a number of folks in this area had been complaining about their “evacuation situation”, and wanted to see the Sheriff. Tom, a personal friend of mine, did a super job of explaining the “why’s” of evacuation, and, although not all would agree with him, it was clear that his driving interest was for the safety of both life and property. We took a list from the store of “needed items” that they had run out of (bread, milk, baby food, etc), in that the store owners could not leave, and we would get it back to them in the late afternoon.

We headed back to Redding and the Corps HQ; the Major checked in with the ICP to see if we were needed at the Motion Fire; then we started filling the van with supplies to go back out to the Igo Church and the Ono Store. The Major got home at 9 PM. What a day, and it would start over again Saturday morning.

Some observations: (1) The Cal Fire Team is very well organized, and keeps hourly progress reports available on all of the fires. (2) The Road Closures are necessary, although very inconvenient for many, for the fire and other emergency vehicles, such as PG&E crews, need to have open roads to do their jobs.(3) The general attitude of both those folks that have been evacuated and those from the community that are just helping is just wonderful. There are some that are very upset with having to leave their homes, which is understandable, but then a much larger group that is just thankful that the fire did not get them. And lastly the overall feeling that when a disaster strikes, like these fires, the real spirit of helping others comes through “loud and clear”. “A Caring People” clearly shows, and I was so proud to be part of these folks lives at this difficult time.

Baby Dedcation Today

This morning, Winston Spencer Gray will be dedicated to Jesus at the Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City, GA.....and Grampy is playing trombone as part of the Brass and Organ music offering.

Family and friends will then gather for a dinner at the Church...for all to see the little guy.

Should be fun.

More Photos of Winston

Photos of Winston

Some additional photos from today....

Fly in in Williamson, GA

Today we got up early and went south to Williamson, GA...the home of the Fly In at the air park where Carrie and Spence will be building their home. All kinds of old and antique planes, all in great condition, and on a heavy flying schedule....then joined by the Antique Ford Club from Columbus, GA.

Fun for all, including Cy and Malinda Gray, Katy and Fred, Carrie, Spence and the girls, and William, and of course our 3 week old Winston...Audy and me.

We had a great time.....

Arrived at Carrie's...Winston is a Cutie

Carrie's 4th, Winston Spencer Gray, is a little cutie. Little, in that he eats alot but has not gained much weight in his first 3 weeks....but cute as can be. I called him a "pretty baby".

I left Redding on Horizon this AM...into LAX...then Continental through Houston to Atlanta...and am now waiting for my luggage. Good flights and all that...just too short of a transfer time in Houston and the luggage did not make it. Should be here shortly.

Carrie is fine...feeding Winston on a regular 3 hour basis...and we are all looking forward to the baby dedication this Sunday.

More to come, and best wishes,

This is the office building on BuenaVentura Blvd in Redding, CA that will be coming available for lease or for sale the end of June 2009. This is a great opportunity to own a commercial office condo in one of the best locations in Redding. 1000 sq ft, great condition, great location, and a motivated seller. Call for details.Thanks, Ron