My Wonderful Dad

Thom and I went to Yuma, AZ last weekend to join family in celebrating my Dad’s 80th birthday.  We went a couple of days ahead of time so we could help with the decorating and logistics of the celebration day.  Lisa was staying in the room next door to us at the hotel which gave us a little extra time together in the evenings.

My sister Linda was unable to come, so the family gathering wasn’t quite complete and we missed her being there to celebrate with us.

My brother Larry arrived the day of the celebration with his friend Jan. I hadn’t seen my brother in several years, so it was just wonderful to see him.   Jan is a lovely person who fit right in and added to merriment.  The family gathered round the patio table and reminisced.  There was so much fun and joy at just being all together.  There was more laughter than any of us had experienced in any one day in many years (if ever).  I laughed so hard that my ribs and chest muscles hurt for three days after the birthday celebration.

Lisa, Larry, Mom, Dad, Me

There is just nothing like having family together - sharing old memories and making new ones.  This event just recharged me and filled me with joy; and I’m certain the rest of my family felt the same way.  Now looking forward to next March when we’ll gather again to celebrate Mom’s 80th.  Family is so important and the dearest of treasures in life.

Thom and I celebrated Thanksgiving with Lisa and my folks at Lisa’s home (that’s me and Lisa in the photo above).  We had a wonderful time just visiting and, of course, eating.  We had turkey and all the trimmings, plus yummy dessert.  My sister makes the best homemade cheesecake I’ve ever eaten.  You can see some photos by clicking here.  We also celebrated my birthday ( a few days early) since we were all together.  That was special too.

Our Christmas was awesome, start to finish.  We spent a couple days with Craig and Brenna in San Diego - Christmas shopping, going out to dinner, and touring the Christmas lights at Del Mar.  Thom was able to visit Joy, Dave, Davey, and Katey (while I was working), and see a Christmas play where Davey most proudly played the part of a pepperoni.

We spent a week in Oregon.  I was in grandma heaven as you’ll be able to tell if you check out the photos we took  - just click here.  Spending time with the grandkids is just bliss!  Sophie has grown so much and she is just adorable.   Hannah, Miriam, and Simone are all playing piano.  Levi is a whiz at building complicated Leggo projects.   Between the nine of us gathering around the tree on Christmas morning, we had a mountain of gifts.  To top off the day, we had an incredibly delicious turkey dinner.

 Jim had brined this turkey for over eight hours in a pot of broth, water, salt, spices and herbs. Then it was perfectly baked.  I’ve never dined on such a tasty and tender turkey.  Becka made homemade dinner rolls and garlic mashed potatoes . . . everything was just perfect!  A terrific family feast.

We had a bit of an adventure on our last day.  We were to fly out in the early evening.  In the early afternoon, big soft snowflakes began to fall.  Since we hadn’t got so much as a drop of rain the entire time we were up there (I was disappointed at that since I so love the rain), we all oohed and aahed at the beautiful snow coming down.  The children ran out to play in this winter wonder and make snow angels.  We all figured it wouldn’t last long and certainly wouldn’t stick.  We were wrong.

The snow came down thicker and faster, and covered the ground in no time.  We decided we should leave early for the train that would take us to the airport just to be safe.  With all the children, us and our luggage packed in the van, Becka proceeded to drive us to the station.  A normally 20 minute trip took us nearly two hours!  Thom and I said our goodbyes and hurried Becka on her way, hoping the snow would let up so she could get back home more quickly as poor Sophie was hungry and fussing by this time.

Thom and I waited at the train station quite some time standing under the scant shelter that did little to protect us from the ice cold blowing wind and the still falling snow.  After a little over an hour, we finally boarded and headed to Portland, where we were to get a connecting train to the airport.  We got to the Portland stop and waited an additional hour in the still falling snow (it was freezing I tell you!), until a train finally arrived to take us to the airport.  We got to the airport just in time to check our baggage, grab a quick sandwich, and board the plane.  Then we had to wait on the tarmac awhile as our plane was third in line to be de-iced before taking off.  Quite the adventurous end to our Christmas vacation.

I’m wishing all of my family and friends (and anyone else who might happen to read this post) a happy, healthy, and love filled 2010.  Cherish your parents, your siblings, your children, your grandchildren, your friends . . . all the people who touch your life in a positive way and make it special and full.  Time passes so quickly . . . be sure to treasure the blessings God has given you and give thanks.

The bad news?  My camera memory card was indeed very bad and the photos of Bryce/Zion and the Grand Canyon are forever lost.  I’m still waiting to get copies of pics my sister took.  Very disappointing as I was certain I had gotten some awesome shots (probably wishful thinking there anyway).

The good news?  I purchased a new memory card for my camera and tested it out when Thom and I visited the Los Angeles Zoo.  Thankfully, it worked great and I got lots of photos of the animals.  It was a hot day and the animals were pretty lethargic, but I still got a couple decent pics.  You can see them by clicking here: Los Angeles Zoo.

I’ve been busy this Columbus Day weekend.  Thom and I successfuly took down our very weathered front door, sanded it, stained it, sealed it; and just put it back up  a few minutes ago.  It came out really good if I do say so myself.

Windy, cloudy, cold day.  I love the clouds and the cold, but could do without so much wind.  Now, if only it will really rain tomorrow as is predicted, that will be the icing on my cake.  I so love the rain.

I am so disappointed.  I set aside special time today to update my blog.  I was intending to upload my photos from my recent vacation with my sister to Zion, Bryce, and the North Rim Grand Canyon to my Flickr site.  Then I was going to update my blog about my most awesome vacation with links to the photos. 

Well, I got on the computer to do just those things and first found that my camera was not working properly - it turns on then immediately off.  So, I changed batteries (several times because I just can’t believe something would break on me) to no avail.  I then put the photo memory card directly in to my computer.  The photos started to load and then abruptly stopped and I kept getting error messages.  When I put the memory card back in my camera, for the two seconds the camera stayed on, it advised me it could not read the card.  Dang it!!!

As a last resort, I will traipse to the nearest Walgreens to see if they can transfer the photos off the card and onto a disk for me.  I took 353 photos and my heart is sinking about them being lost forever.

That’s it for now.  If things work out, I’ll update in a much happier frame of mind later.UPDATE January 10, 2010:  My pictures were totally lost and unrecoverable.  The photo I’ve now placed at the beginning of this post is courtesy of Lisa.

Update January 10, 2010:  The photos on my disk were unrecoverable.  The picture I’ve placed at the beginning of this post is courtesy of Lisa.  While very disappointed that my pictures were lost, I’m most happy that Lisa’s came out  most awesomely so we have some photographic mementos of our wonderful trip.

Two Beautiful Dolls

One of our granddaughters, Katey, celebrated her 3rd birthday on July 31st.  Thom and I, her Grandpa Les, Mom Joy, Dad Dave, brother Davey, and Great Aunt Linda were all at our house for the happy occasion.  Linda painted Katey a beautiful painting of “kitties at tea” - a variety of cats sitting round a table feasting on plates of fish and glasses of milk.

Katey also received a doll that she was just ecstatic over.  You can tell in the photo above how enraptured she was with her new doll, placing barrettes in her hair and necklaces around her neck.  Katey is just a beautiful little girl who had a very happy birthday.

When I asked Katey how old she was that day, she proudly held up three fingers and said “I’m six!”.   Happy birthday, Katey!  We love you!

Recently, my sister acted on a promise she made herself long ago.  She vowed she would skydive before she turned 50.  On July 10, 2009, she kept her promise.

Thom, Lisa, and I drove down to Perris, CA, for her skydive.  The closer we got to Perris, the more nervous I got.  Good grief!  My sister was going to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!

We arrived at the Perris Skydiving School and Lisa checked in.  Thom and I got to sit with her while she signed a 12-page disclaimer and was videoed stating she would hold no one liable if she didn’t safely land.  Yikes!!

We then went to the coffee shop for a snack while waiting for her to be called to suit up and get ready to skydive.  When she was called, I followed her in to an open bay area where she and fellow skydivers prepared to get in to their skydiving jumpsuits.  Lisa and I met her skydiving tandem partner (a professional skydiving instuctor), Nick.  I think we were both very tickled to see she had landed a very personable and very cute guy to jump with.  Just an extra little thrill for this ride she was taking.

After suiting up and getting harnessed so she could be attached to Nick for the tandem jump, Nick gave her instructions on what the process would be and what her responsibilities were.  When he came to the part about exiting the airplane for the jump, it was so strange to hear “just kneel down on one knee and roll on out the door.”  Sounds so easy, yet just the thought is terrifying to me.  I think I would love the floating down to earth part once the parachute is open, but I’m fairly certain that I could not make myself “roll on out the door” and in to open space.  I would probably expire during free fall.

I followed Lisa and Nick as they walked to the plane; and watched as the plane took off.  I anxiously watched the plane in the sky until it became a minute dark speck way up there.  Eventually, many dark tinier specks appeared in the sky.  As these specks grew larger, I could see the skydivers were floating on down.  Now, how to discern Lisa out of all these dots in the sky!

As Lisa and Nick were very close to landing, Lisa called my name and I began snapping photos.  It is very hard to take photos of  skydivers landing as they are actually coming in pretty fast - you can hear the whoosh sound as they approach the landing zone.  I felt very relieved and joyful when my sister was safely back on earth.  You can see pics of this event by clicking here.

As a gift to Bean (aka Lisa), I purchased a simple video of the event.  The camera for this is built in to the instructor’s glove.  The video is about a minute-and-a-half long.  I just fill up with joy and love for my sister every time I watch it.  She is so excited and happy in that video - she accomplished something a lot of people won’t even think of attempting.

I’m glad you’re feet are back on solid ground, Bean; and I’m so happy that you got to have this wonderful experience and that I was there to share it with you.  As she exclaimed in the video while skydiving and to me once she landed on the ground - “That was so intense!”  I guess that says it all.

On our way up to Oregon, we stopped in Morro Bay, CA, for two nights.  On a whim, and because it was a good price, we decided to go whale watching.  Our whale watching “ship” was a good sized pontoon boat.  I was pretty pleased with myself for not getting seasick on our way out to sea.  We were watching the horizon intently for any sign of whales spouting.  We saw lots of birds (seagulls, pelicans, etc.) along the way and lots of sea lions.  After going out to sea about six miles, other people on the boat started shouting “spout!”.  Me  - I saw nothing but endless ocean.

Finally, after being told the “spout” actually looks like sea spray, just higher in the air, I was able to spot a couple.  Then, wonderously, all aboard the boat, saw a mamma and baby humpback whale surface and dive back down.  The boat captain followed this pair for about 45 minutes, and I tried my darnedest to get photos.  I must tell you that taking a photo standing up in a boat, grasping the railing in hopes of not going overboard, and bouncing up and down over crests of waves is not real conducive to taking photos.  But, I kept on clicking in hopes of getting at least one.  You can see my photos of Morro Bay and my attempts at whale photography by clicking here.  I have to confess that I was getting very seasick and feeling very green on our return trip to port; and was ever so happy to stand on solid ground.

We continued on our way and stayed in Roseburg, OR for two nights.  We spent an entire day taking hiking trails in to see a variety of waterfalls.  Hiking was a beautiful experience as the trails wound through thick forests with beautiful wild orchids, huge ferns, greenery everywhere,  and a canopy of huge pine trees providing shade.  The waterfalls were all pretty much at full force and were just awesome.  If only a picture could capture the sound of the waterfalls . . . the sight and sound together are so powerful.  Click here to see photos of the waterfalls. 

The best part of our trip, of course, was seeing Jim, Becka, and the grandkids.  We had a terrific time.  Sophie Grace is a beautiful baby and sooooooooo mellow.  She melted my heart.  All the kids greeted us at the door when we arrived, giving us hugs and kisses and cries of “You’re finally here!”  My heart fills up and runs over with love just thinking of those kids.  We played games, went to the Saturday Market in Portland, and just spent a lot of quality time together.  It broke my heart to leave when the time came.  I will never get enough of being near them . . . surrounded by so much unconditional love and just sharing our joy at being together.  I am so looking forward to retiring and moving up to Oregon so that we can celebrate birthday’s and other special events.  Just babysitting is heaven to me.  Click here to see some pics of my wonderful grandchildren, son, and daughter-in-law.

We left Oregon and headed back home, staying in Winchester Bay one night.  This was a very small port town with campgrounds, lots of boats in its small port, and a smattering of  touristy shops which were all closed.  The high point of staying there is that it rained all night; and you all know how I love clouds and rain.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We then went on to Crescent City, CA, where we stayed in a great place right on Crescent Beach.  We walked the beach for quite awhile in the evening and I found two whole (unbroken) sand dollars.  We only stayed there one night, but next time, we’ll be sure to stay longer.  It was just so beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. 

Now we are back home, and I’m back to work.  As always, I’m missing my grandkids and dreaming of the day I can be closer to them.

The beautiful lady in the photo is Betty Jean Hopkins, my sweet mother-in-law.  She passed away from Alzheimers on June 4, 2009.   I cannot begin to tell you how much I will miss her.  Even as the Alzheimers progressed and took away her ability to talk and walk; more often than not,  I could walk in to see her, say hello, give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and her smile would light up the room.

Betty was a little woman - very short and petite.  I always felt protective of her from the first time we met.  She was such a sweet soul too; but with a determined spirit and a good ability to express herself.  She adored her husband, Les; and her children were her pride and joy.  She was also a very proud grandma and great grandma.

Betty is now at rest - safe and happy in God’s arms.  That gives me comfort.  Those of us left behind miss her greatly, will always hold her close in our memories and our hearts, and will see her again when God takes us home.  Until then, Betty, I know you are soaring with the angels, watching over us, and looking down on us with your great big, beautiful smile.  I love you.

Me and Thom Waiting to Board the Jet Boat

We took a jet boat ride from Laughlin, NV, to Lake Havasu, AZ.  It was a two-hour boat ride down to Lake Havasu, two-hours to visit/tour, then two hours back to Laughlin.  It was a cold, windy day but the boat had its removable top and windows in place so the wind and water stayed mostly outside the boat.

I was amazed at the beautiful and expensive homes along the river between Laughlin and Lake Havasu.  The biggest homes were on the shores in Needles.  If you have ever been to Needles, you would understand my surprise at seeing such opulent homes there.  Many of these homes had personal beaches complete with permanent barbecues, umbrellas, sand, and lapping waves.   Wonderful to live at in the winter months I’m sure, but when it’s 110 in the summer . . . maybe not so wonderful.

Jet Boat Just Like the One We Rode In.

We arrived in Lake Havasu and were set free to wander about for a couple of hours.  Thom and I walked across the London Bridge and back, then had lunch in a restaurant that offered a view of the Colorado River and the Bridge.  The food was delicious!

London Bridge - Lake Havasu, AZ

As this was Spring break time for some students, the port at Lake Havasu was packed full of boats of all sizes, shapes, and colors.  Those boats were chock full of scantily clad college students.  It was a people watching bonanza.

On our return trip to Laughlin, we saw three 20-something males along the river bank.  They waved at us, turned around, dropped their shorts and mooned us, then pulled up their shorts, turned back to face us with huge grins on their faces and waved again.  Our boat full of 40 people laughed like crazy and waved back.  Fortunately, no one aboard the boat was brazen enough to moon them back!

The boat pilot pointed out some cool petroglyphs on the hills alongside the river as we were returning to Laughlin.  You can see photos we took of the petroglyphs, the Colorado River, and Lake Havasu by clicking here.

The jet boat ride was a great experience, and I highly recommend it.

Thom and I went to see a Moody Blues concert recently.  I have to admit that I was a bit leery.  Having seen a photo of them, they looked more like the moody greys, and can you really rock out like you used to at age 18 when you are well over 50?  The response to that question is a resounding “Yes!”

The original lead singer, lead guitar player, and drummer are still in the group.  They now have a very talented female band member who plated flute, harmonica, and tambourine; and sang backup.  There was another female backup singer and a second drummer.

I was fascinated with the talent of the second drummer.  This guy had the energy of a whirling dervish!  He stood in the center of a large circle of  drums, cymbals, and chimes.  On one song in particular he got to show off and man!!!!  He was incredible!  That’s the only way to describe it.

If you get a chance to see the Moody Blues perform, go for it!  You’ll be glad you did. They sang all of their top hits and they had a lot of them.  They also sang some new tunes off a recently released album.  Grey haired or not, the Moody Blues are just as good as ever.  They put on a wonderful concert.