Big thanks to Bob L. Vice for all things avocado. He’s the definition of a gentleman farmer — smart, good-humored, generous, and to the point.
And to Peter Piconi for his insights into fly-fishing San Diego Bay as a professional guide.
Many thanks also to Tucker Watkins, private wealth advisor for Ameriprise Financial in Irvine, for his valuable insight, both philosophical and technical, on being a financial advisor during a recession.
Thanks to Steve Bagley, city engineer of Greeley, Colorado, for showing me the ways that public safety projects can go both right and wrong.
Big gratitude to good friend Rick Raeber, who, over beers and hours of fishing in Baja, convinced me I could and should write this book.
Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media Group believed in this book from our first conversation over lunch, long before a word had been written. An author can have no better combat team than Trident Media. I thank Robert, Erica Silverman, Mark Gottlieb, and everyone else at this fine agency.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, especially Sally Richardson, who published my first book all those nearly thirty years ago. It’s great to be reunited with her, Charlie Spicer, and Joan Higgins, too. I offer a thankful memory of Matthew Shear, publisher, who loved this book from the beginning but didn’t get to see it born — thank you for the faith.
Last but first, deep thanks to my wife, Rita, for giving me love, liberty, and the belief that I was up to this task. Your belief counts more than you know.