Hi All,

It's time to wish our friend Don in Hollister, Happy Birthday!

I've said a lot of things about him over the years, mostly positive, but I'll let you in on a little secret. He absolutely loves Twinkies. I was teasing him last night and telling him I should give him a new name, like Mr. Twinkie, The Twinkster, or The Twink Mon. Though it seemed really funny to me, he said, "don't you dare." Oh well, so I've let the cat out of the proverbial bag. Oooo, Shame on me.

There are never enough words to express what a really good friend he has been to me. In Don's case, while he can drive me nuts at times, he is in fact the best friend I've ever had in my life. His best attribute is that he doesn't sit in judgment on people. He has such a vast background in knowing personalities, he will just as easily point out a person's good side as their negative one. He is a gentleman at all times and never takes anything for granted. He cares for all of humanity, not just people who are close to him and this is why I believe his interest in earthquake prediction and earthquake safety weigh heavily on his mind. He does want to reach out and help and he's demonstrated quite clearly here, he has the ability and uses it prudently.

So on birthday #&* let us all wish this fellow board member a very Happy Birthday and wishes for many more to follow.

Petra