I lived out in Redlands for a few years, not too close to you but not far either. I moved here to Colorado from there actually. I was in San Diego for a few years before that.
That was 20 years ago now… holy crap.
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I used to play a lot of golf down that way. Riverside, Beaumont, oak valley area. Very very windy but fun.
Those kids definitely did not know how good they had it, although they probably do now. 
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Wow that all looks delicious! Those were some lucky kids while it lasted!
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Right?? now i’m hungry 
LOL!!
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I’m not usually one for gadgets but I recently bought a finger strengthener (D’Addario finger trainer) to help with my flying fingers. I’ve found it has made a great difference strengthening each finger independently. Like you, I found the focus/mindfulness useful while using it: using one finger at a time while not moving the others, only pressing as far as I can without disturbing resting fingers.
Worth the $20.
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There’s one exercise that really helped me a lot with flying fingers, not to mention developing a ton of finger-independence and mind/muscle connection. It will very likely humble you! I’ve been playing bass for a year and played guitar for several before that, but trying this exercise it felt like I’d never picked up an instrument in my life. It was that hard. I would look at my fingers and mentally will them to move, but they were like “yeah no, we’re good right here thanks”.
But after a week or so of doing it 5 minutes a day, not only could I do the exercise much better, but I could clearly see the results in my playing as well. Do it for a month and I think you will see some massive results.
It goes like this. It’s basically a spider walk where you play one-finger-per-fret and work your way from the E string to the G string and then back again. Then just repeat in a cycle. The trick is, all fingers stay in place except the one that’s currently moving to the higher string (or lower string if you’re making your way back down). This is WAY harder than it sounds, at first.
I felt compelled to record an example:
It sounds kinda crap, but consider that when I first tried it, I could barely make my fingers move at all.
Anyway, this one is a challenge, but it works wonders for flying fingers and finger independence. Maybe give it a try?
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Wow, this looks like a great exercise! I’m definitely going to try it, maybe even add it to my regular practice routine. Thanks for making the video, because it really helped me be clear on exactly how to do it.
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I tried it out last night and, it’s going to be something I do every day now. My first run through was not as smooth as @fennario 's video. Tbh, it was kind of a miniature Billie Jean moment. Frustrating but fantastic at the same time. I see huge payoffs for getting this down.
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Yeah, I think I’ll have the same experience. I think it will be very hard for me at first.
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