Fourth of July, Big Bear

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. Mine was awesome, albeit a bit ambitious.

After a morning trip to the gym - seven miles on the treadmill! - I went to a pool party/BBQ in Irvine. At 4 p.m., we packed up and went to Angel Stadium (pictured) to tailgate, see the Angels beat the O's, and watch fireworks. The night ended with a low-key party in Seal Beach. Good times, but I was whipped by the end of the day.

The weekend before, my motorcycle riding group rode 105 miles north to Big Bear Lake, a resort area at more than 6,000-foot elevation. We rented a cabin, explored the coniferous beauty of Big Bear - and of course partied (pictured).

This Saturday, I'm finally making my first trip of the summer to the Hollywood Bowl to hear a Henry Mancini tribute. Eight of us are going early to picnic.

Motorcycles, pin-up girls, baseball

I had a great weekend.

After live music Friday night, a group of us on Saturday rode our motorcycles from Long Beach to Dana Point (42 miles one way on PCH) for the annual Hell on Wheels Motorcycle Rally. They had vintage bikes and cars, live music, pool - and a pin-up girl beauty contest.

Sunday, the OC Hokies hosted the L.A. chapter for an afternoon baseball game in Anaheim pitting the Angels against the Dodgers. About 30 of us went. We had a blast - and the Dodgers won 5-3!

Enjoy photos of:

- All the beauty contestants.

- Me and Lady Stroganoff, the third-place beauty contestant.

- Some of us at Coconuts, where the rally was held.

- A tatted-out blonde.

- Steve, the chapter president of OC Hokies, and myself goin' all gangsta at Angel Stadium.

GardenWalk on the wild side

We gathered at the GardenWalk Friday to say goodbye to Erin, who's leaving journalism to go into teaching.

She's a cool girl. She worked as intern on my team, then I talked her into taking an opening. I got promoted to the main office soon afterward. She's leaving because her job's no longer fun. Then again, after having me as a boss (!), it's all downhill after that.

Enjoy pics of, from top, of:

- Me, Steve (president of OC Hokies) and Andrew

- Kim and Erin, the lady of the hour

- My boyz Rod and Mark

Repuglican's 2nd Dog Amendment

Another great Repuglican video from barelypolitical.com: