2014 Caribou Recap

Skipping the winter and heading to March, above and below are photos of spring training in Phoenix at Camelback Ranch, home of the Dodgers. These guys look like they could use some spring training:

Paul, John, Gene, Newton, Dennis, and Pat.

Below, our seats, (in the shade).

Talk about someone who could use spring training!

Tommy Lasorda once said,

"There are 3 kinds of people in the world:

Those who make things happen,

those who watch things happen,

and those who say, 'What the hell happened?'"

Hope you get ahead in 2015, Tommy, (you're gonna need one).

Angel's Stadium, Phoenix. The Caribou will again travel to Spring Training in March of 2015.

Maybe one of them will make the roster this year.

Above, the program,

(pictured are Dan Koenig, Jack Meyer, Jim McDonald, and John McLaughlin

and in the center below at the Museum of the San Fernando Valley:

Caribou member and Cerveza Brothers Catering Company Chef

John McLaughlin stars in "Old Friends,"

a play about friendship and coming of age set in the San Fernando Valley.

John, Charlie Collie, and the rest of the cast will perform the play at the

El Portal theater in North Hollywood for two weeks in April of 2015,

so don't miss it!

Blast from the past #1:

Gene Meyer, Joe Payette, Pinky Ebert, and Tom Campbell

are attempting to pump ethyl at Walz Richfield, corner of Van Nuys Blvd and Burbank, two blocks from Bob's Big Boy, Van Nuys, circa 1969.

Photo Credit: Paul Ebert

Above and below:

Happy birthday to Jeanne on the pier at Ventura.

Gene, Terry, Don, Kathy, Abby, Cheryl, Jeanne, Dennis and Veda.

Don't ever invite Gene to a birthday party because he will bring his ukulele.

At Jeanne's birthday party, Terry visits with childhood friends Don & Kathy Phillips, who hold the current Caribou record, as of our Christmas card count, for having the most grandkids, (12).

Second place went to the combo team of

Tim and Pat McArdle with 11;

and in third place this year are

previous record holders Greg & Karen Brewster with 10.

Come on, Greg & Karen, other grandparents are passing you up!

This competition has created a new Caribou rule:

Don't be the slow grandparent!

Also, best wishes to Don & Kathy on their upcoming move to Roseville, California.

Below, Virg Evans visits England in the summer where he tries to steal this Pub Sign with twin daughters Elizabeth and Rebecca on their way to Crete to celebrate the marriage of third sister Jessica.

Virg's son Chris, (a renowned Ventura surfer schooled by Jeff Meyer), is credited with being matchmaker.

And the girls all thanked TSA,

which no longer allows banjos on international flights!

Still Crazy After All These Years.

Caribou legends Rudy and Norma Hernandez celebrate their 49th anniversary in July.  Look for next year's to be a big one.

Retired Santa Barbara firefighter Stan Thompson, shown here with his able assistant and son, Marshall, forges into the future by building a house in Clio, which is near Graeagle, which is near Truckee, which is near Lake Tahoe, which is near Auburn, which is near Sacramento, which is far from Southern California

Below: Blast from the Past #2. Gene Meyer, Cathy & Paul Campbell, Lee and Jane Schwalm. No wonder girls steered clear of me! 

Marshall Thompson gets a head massage while

(Mom) Debbie and (Aunt) Stephanie Meyer watch.

The winters up in Clio make you tough.

When this dog left Santa Barbara, he was a Chihuahua!

The Caribou Club features museum field trips. Above, here's Dennis, Veda and Gene at a baseball exhibit at the Reagan Library preparing for the free airplane ride, while below, Gene enjoys the oval office. Nice Hollywood Stars T shirt. 

In 2015, we'll be visiting the

Museum of the San Fernando Valley, as well as the

Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard. The Dead Scrolls will also be in town.

The Caribou Club annual poker party spies Tom Campbell and eventual tournament winner Tim Donnelly going head to head, while previous 2 time champion Chuck looks on and says, "I'm gonna take these guys down."

Below, Group Shot:

Dennis, Gene, Tom, Terry,

Tim Donnelly - Winner of the Lou Watson Memorial Poker Trophy, 

John, Paul, Chuck, Pat, and Virg.

Terry always mentions this recurring Caribou dream he has about meeting his maker. When Shirley sees this picture, he may get his wish.

Speaking of which, 2014 saw the last of Terry's boat, Perfect. Below, here are Terry and Shirley on a final voyage. What lies ahead? Just keep scrolling down. 

Above: She sure was a great office!

Below: One of the views from the bow aboard Perfect

Above and below: Terry searches for his next boat, this time in the famous "Cartel" in North Hollywood, run by Caribou supporter and Wolf, Darwin Chacon.  Failing to notice that there's no dining area, no head and no sleeping space, Terry asks,

"Where do we put all the fish?"

Below: Finally, Terry finds a new fishing berth aboard Daily Double, a Searay 42.  Plenty of room for fish!

Here's Jack in Berlin, giving his children Emily and John (JJ) a lesson on

how to drink beer. Good job. A+ 

Above, 4th of July, 2014: Chef John McLaughlin whips up a Completo,

which consists of a Tecate and a hot dog with absolutely everything,

served with Fritos, and corn,

for partiers in Jeff & Penny Meyer's Van Nuys neighborhood.

They even had a fire truck at the party. 

We hope you had a paramedic, too!

Below: a different version of the Completo as presented by our old nemesis

Buck Meadows

who came back from fighting in Lybia just to watch

Vin Scully and the Dodgers

only to find that he couldn't get the games on TV.

So he invented this Completo and did a great business on Craigslist

until he was visited by heavily armed Dodger Security team,

(Buck described them as more menacing than the Taliban),

who made him take the site down.

But there's still time to order for this season!

Here's Darwin, wondering why Terry didn't buy this boat. It's still available!

Caribou stalwart and Stand Up Paddler Bill Bowles, enjoys the beauty and solitude of Little Cojo Beach, ("Big Wednesday" was filmed here), located on the 25,000 acre Cojo Jalama Ranch, which includes Point Conception Light House. Thanks to his friend, the owner, Bill gets in here once in a while.

Below, a proud Tom Campbell congratulates

daughter-in-law Nikole and daughter Kellie

at their wedding last September in Roseville

"Best wedding I ever attended," said Deirdre Ebert

 September finds the Caribou grazing at, where else,

Bob's Big Boy in Sunland.

L to R: Dennis, Bill, Gene, Tom, Guest of Honor Fred Coultas, Paul, Patrick, and Rudy surround Jeff (Did Terry take this?) on this great field trip.

Did I mention this Bob's has a full sports bar?

Bill McMenamin, Fred Coultas, and Dennis Watson enjoy talking story,

especially about Hawaii

Who ordered the Big Boy and fries? We all did!

Clockwise: Veda Meyer, Pam Pacht, Maggie Klaus,Trish and Bill McMenemin, Gene, Jeff, and Penny Meyer. And look at what's right over Norma's head. That's right, the fruitcake got handed off from Bill McMenamin to Penny Meyer, but now it belongs to Pam Pacht, (she just doesn't know it yet).

For more info on the fruitcake, click on  Fruitcake

Above and below: Fred Coultas and John McLaughlin show off their Caribou gear. Coming up in 2015: More eco-friendly Caribou canvas tote bags.

Grandparent alert. Above, Dad Bob Meyer holds Rose, his second child, while below, Rose's grandfather, the famous Jaque Meyer, dives deep toward the underwater bar in the Sandwich Islands, also called Maui.

Tim Donnelly and Terry Coultas "fishing."  Tim says, "Terry, I know you think it's a good idea to scare the fish out of the water with this airhorn, but you making my ears ring!"

Below: Dan O'Dell waits patiently at the dock for

Terry and Tim to return with dinner for his pet.

Golf corner: Marshall Thompson switches from house builder to caddy at Silverado Country Club in Napa as he loops for his uncle Jack at a pro am.

"I carried Davis Love," says Jack.

"I carried Jack," says Marshall.

Below: Dennis, Tom, Gene, and Pat hold the Westlake Golf Club presidents' trophy with the name of Caribou legend Stan Cardinet,

(father of Pam Healy and golf guru of son-in-law Kane Healy).

Stan is listed as the first president of Westlake.

Please don't steal it, guys.   

Last golf shot above: Jack visits with

legendary crooner and Caribou Club Member Johnny Mathis

in the clubhouse at Riviera Country Club.

"My brother toured with you," says Jack.

"I don't remember anybody named Buck Meadows," says Johnny.

 In response to many inquiries about Jeff's condition,  every three weeks in 2014, we traveled to San Diego for a clinical trial. We will do the same in 2015. Our volunteer travel team includes John McLaughlin, Patrick Meyer, Penny Meyer, Rob Meyer, Leticia Flores, Dennis Watson, Gene Meyer, and Bill McMenamin. Above John enjoys the view from our hotel room.

Below, Jeff at the trial in December with his pal and nurse, Elena. Jeff is hanging in there and appreciates everybody's support.

By the way, Elena's last job?

Sixteen years at New Jersey's Morristown Memorial Hospital,

 Better than a selfie:

Shirley gets a royal flush while Terry watches football in the bar.

Yes, she had the max bet.

 December, and time for Pat Leahy's 70th birthday bash, put on by wife Lily and sons Lorrin, Luke, and (chef) Newton, who baked the desserts above.

Below: Kathy Leahy, Dennis Watson, Sherry and Chuck Collazzi, and Tom Campbell try to eat and drink

  Sister Kathy, brother Michael, Pat, stepson Erin Ripperger, and cousin Dave all celebrate the fact that Patrick is the oldest Caribou in this group!

(But don't test him on the golf course!)

 Now on to the Caribou End of the Year Breakfast held at Bay St. by Santa Monica Pier. Above, here is a total Van Nuys group: Jim Ciufo, Judy and Dan Koenig, Bill McMenamin, and Tonie Ann(Furlano) Graber. And I'll bet they all know the words to, "Put Another Candle on My Birthday Cake."

  Caribou legend, role model, (and husband of Carol), Joe Prata enjoys the day. At 86, he still surfs on weekends, and just for fun, during the week, he swims laps at the Sherman Oaks Memorial pool. Gotta throw in that, while on the Ohio State swim team, he knew Duke Kahanamoku. Keep going, Joe!

Fellow artists Steve McAdam and Ed Flynn hanging out at the beach.

Below, Ken Furlano and Ian Flynn await the big musical attraction.

Kenny tells Ian,

"I hope they don't do something lame, like "Little Grass Shack."

 Before performing Little Grass Shack, the band asks,

"What is the state fish of Hawaii?"

to which Marcus Shin, grandson of Pat Leahy, responds,

"Humu humu nuku nuku apua'a."

Below the legendary Hula Halau 'O Van Nuys, performs the magic of hula

 Leticia Flores, Paul Atkinson and Patrick Meyer nailing it.

Next stop, Trader Vic's.

Below, Chef Dennis of the

Cerveza Brothers Catering Company

Pat, on his ukulele, Jeff, and Chris McAdam look on

hoping that nobody on the dance team takes a serious spill.

Below, Group Shot

Happy New Year, 2015

 Above: Penny Meyer checks out the mighty Lakota West High School Marching Firebirds from West Chester, Ohio Band as they practice along Santa Monica Beach. Three days later they would march in the Rose Parade.

Last Grandchild alert.

Long may you run!