Jumping from a plane and visiting the neighbors

The big jump

Three-day weekends mean an extra day of fun for those of us who go to school, to work and who have to keep on a strict schedule throughout the week.

Most of us keep our feet on the ground unlike my friends, Linda De Forest and her son, Ryan, who decided to celebrate their birthdays by jumping out of a plane. The pair usually take a trip abroad at birthday time but Ryan, who turned 18 in March, was so busy with school and his summer job they decided on an Aug. 30 jump.

"We both decided before he left for college this is how we were going to celebrate, " Linda said.

The pair headed to Lodi to the Parachute Center to prepare for the big moment. Armed with nerves of steel and the proper parachute equipment — essential — they boarded the plane.

Then they jumped!

Linda and Ryan had a fabulous time as you can see by the accompanying pictures. ( Just a few of the more than 100 pictures they took that day.)

Ryan will leave Patterson to start his areonautical engineering studies at Univeisty of California, Davis, on Sept. 20. We wish you all the best, Ryan!

Visiting the neighbors

The Newman Fall Festival is a tradition of our neighbors to the south. My friend, Coleen Sanguinetti, her granddaughters, Sarah and Ashley, and yours truly headed to Newman for some fun on Sunday.

The big parade — with the Apricot Fiesta float in the lineup — was followed by fun in the Newman Park. Sarah and Ashley enjoyed the rides and bounce houses and we all took part in delicious food and drink. (Of course!) The festival featured a car show and plenty of musical entertainment.

We browsed all the craft booths before starting for home in the late afternoon. It was a fun day for all of us thanks to our neighbors in Newman.

Again I headed south and after helping Coleen with some chores on Monday, our little group headed to the playhouse set up in the Sanguinetti yard.

Coleen and I were the customers at the make-believe restaurant, decorated with tables, chairs, lamps and complete with curtains on the windows and decorations on the walls.

Sarah and Ashley, in dress up attire, served the make believe food, while Coleen and I chatted.

Hope you had a nice three-day weekend celebrated in your own style.