Wordless Wednesday

Dad's Going to be 90!!!

In just a few days my Dad is going to be 90. It seems like just yesterday we were all kids living at home. How life changes. Just 9 days after he turns 90 I will turn 64. When my grandparents were 65 I thought they were really old. I don't feel old and I don't think of Dad as old.

Today I wanted to post a presentation we 5 children made for Dad 10 years ago on his 80th birthday. We had a wonderful get together and families came from all across the United States to get to the reunion. Enjoy the video.

Cruising on the Pier

On last Sunday afternoon JoAnn and I were walking on the Ventura Pier. It's been a long time since we had walked on a pier on the Pacific Ocean. It was a wonderful walk. It's about 200 yards out to the end of the pier and we were enjoying the vista and the people when a bicycle cruised by us ever so slowly. I glanced at it as it went by, then did a double take as I saw a beautiful bicycle. This custom bicycle caught my curiosity and I wanted to take a photo of it. As we continued walking down the pier we caught up with the now parked bicycle. I talked to the owner and asked about the bicycle. He had built it and he was awfully proud of the bicycle and bashful. I couldn't get a photo of him with his bicycle.

I call it an "art bicycle" because like all good sculpture it is a masterpiece. There might be those who would argue with me, but take time to look at the craftsmanship, the care and love that was taken in sculpting this bicycle. There was obvious pride in workmanship. It is a classic and was made to be ridden and admired.



Our walk down the pier turned into an adventure because it was enhanced by the beauty of a craftsman and artist.

A California Weekend

On Friday JoAnn and I headed to southern California for a homecoming, of sorts. We lived in Ventura, CA from 1969 to 1972 and in many ways it was our first real home. We were out of school, in our first job, had our first child (and second), joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of these were life changing events. This weekend was what JoAnn described as her dream vacation. I didn't initially see it like that, but as we got into the weekend I came to the same conclusion. We spent Friday and Sunday in Ventura and Saturday a short jaunt to Solvang and Santa Barbara. We didn't do justice to either of those cities/communities so we have a reason to go back.

We kept family up to date on our adventure with postcards emailed from my iPhone. This resulted in a few jealous kids.

Ventura was a voyage of rediscovery, and no we didn't take lots of boring photos of places we remembered - mostly because they weren't worth taking photos of. However, there were lots of things we did take photos of and too many for one blog. For example last evening we went down to the beach and watched the sunset (2nd night in a row) and understand how it could be addictive. It was great to see so many people (older folks like us) who were doing the same thing. There were also younger folks down there too. More on this in a later blog.

In the short time we lived in Ventura we lived in 4 different apartments. They are all still there and we found all of them. Two of them have not changed a whit, except they are 40 years older and show it. The other two were homes or partial homes and have been remodeled. Our beach house we had to guess at. We had the right street and knew how far from the beach we lived, but it had changed considerably. They had moved the entrance to the garage 90 degrees so they could have a front yard. Good idea! The 2nd home had a back entrance and sat on a main street, but I loved it. Now it has a front entrance, stairs and a beautiful front patio. When we went by on Sunday morning there were 4 men sitting out on the patio eating breakfast.

We kept asking ourselves, why did we ever leave Ventura? We loved it and still do. But we left because we needed to grow. Some folks do this without ever leaving home, but JoAnn and I were never very good about that. We took home with us. We have the wanderlust and I think we always will. I can blame it on my parents and the military and I guess JoAnn can blame it on me. Regardless, we have loved all of the places we have lived and done so because of family and good friends. It was wonderful to go back to Ventura. We still love it. It has a great charm. It was a wonderful place to visit and when we went to Church on Sunday morning there were tears in both of our eyes as we realized that for us, this is where so much began that has made our family what it is. We are thankful for these experiences in our lives and for the joy that we have in our family.

Now we are back "home" in Las Vegas. It is our home for now and we have family close at hand (6 driving hours is close compared to 1,500 miles in the past) and many good friends. Not to mention, we also love the winters, the back patio (where I am now), and the springs and falls. The memories were good and we are refreshed, ready to go on with the rest of our daily living.

Did I fail to mention that an official holiday involves finding at least one quilt show and done or more quilt shops. I found the quilt show and a closed quilt shop and JoAnn found an open Quilt Shop, so we had and official holiday. The above art quilt is titled "Men in Ties" and is on display in the Ventura Art Museum. It is a classic piece of work and we knew Mike would like it. He has requested a full quilt for their bed (thank goodness he was kidding).

Valentine's Day

We have had 42 Valentine's days together and for the very first time we left home to spend time together. We should have done it when we had 7 kids at home, but who could afford it then? After Church yesterday, yes we are good Mormons and made ALL of our meetings yesterday, we headed off for Laughlin, NV, about 85 miles from Las Vegas. We got a room on the 17th floor with a, and I quote, "Panorama Room" which means we had floor to ceiling windows and a view of the parking garage, roofs of other casinos, and the Colorado River.

We went for a walk on the river walk, unlike any other river walk I have ever been on. It goes along the casinos for a little less than a mile. There are water taxis, jet skis, dinner boats, and it's all on the Nevada side of the river. The east side of the river is Arizona and a timezone away.

We did the riverwalk and got all excited about the Dairy Queen sign. You all know I'm a sucker for Dairy Queen. Well, as it turns out, it was just that - a sign. We walked all over the casino it was next to and no Dairy Queen anywhere.

Later in the evening we went across the river to Bullhead City, AZ to have dinner. We had found a restaurant in the yellow pages (and I use that term loosely down here) with the name of Iguana Mexican Cafe. With a name like that the food has got to be great. As we were driving along looking for the place we passed one, but not the one I had inputted into the GPS. It looked like a greasy spoon, but we decided to keep on going. We finally got off the main drag and started down some dark side streets of trailers with pickups and cars parked out front. As the neighborhood deteriorated I finally caved in and said, let's go somewhere else. We had passed a Mexican restaurant on the way and drove back to it. The food was great even if it too was a little older. On the way in the restaurant I'm following JoAnn and the hostess and as I pass a table I see a colleague from 4 doors down (from the 5th floor at Beam Hall). I could hardly believe we had driven to Southern Nevada and there is a friend. JoAnn thought I had just gotten lost (again), but that wasn't the case.

We are off to see the sites today and then home for an early afternoon. Happy post-Valentine's day everyone.

Along the Byways of Route 66

As my children know, I'm not big on stopping once I'm on the road, especially if I have a target in mind. However, as I've gotten older I have begun stopping more often. However, the most recent trip was time sensitive so we made good time. We spent a night in Flagstaff on the way to Albuquerque and decided we could make the drive home in a single day. It's less than 700 miles, so it is doable. And most of it is interstate so the going is good and if you leave early enough (like us) you miss about 4 to 5 hours of traffic. It also means you can quit earlier in the day.

If we don't have to be anywhere particularly early, then it is different, but we (okay me) still like to leave early. JoAnn can get a couple of more hours of sleep in, I put on the iPod and ear plugs and listen away.

Coming home from Albuquerque we were making good time and it seemed about time for gas and a restroom. We got off the interstate in Williams, AZ and noticed gas was $2.89 and I suggested we drive the half-mile into town to see if gas was cheaper. It was. We crossed the railroad tracks for the Grand Canyon Railroad and went into a nice little community. It was about 8:30 am so not much other than restaurants and gas stations were open. I found a gas station in the middle of a block sequestered between two buildings. You could access from one street and exit on another street. It was long and narrow and the pumps weren't close to the station.

That worked for me since gas was 40 cents a gallon cheaper. JoAnn got out to stretch her legs and we were right at the corner of a building so she indicated she was going for a walk. Usually gas stations aren't close to anything, but not this time. She came right back and said there was a store and she was going to check it out. I finished the gas, looked around the corner, saw it was a gift shop (or so I thought) and went down the the gas station to see what was inside. By the time I came back she was still gone. That's not like her. I peeked around the corner again (see below) and saw the gift shop. Well, I really hadn't looked close enough. It was a quilt shop. Okay, not big deal. We had done 2 in Albuquerque and so what could she possibly find here. I should know better, I've been taking her to quilt stores for years. Especially if it is a quilt shop open at 8:30 in the morning.

You may not be able to read the fine print, but it is the Quilter's Mercantile. That has got to mean whatever they sell costs a lot of money! The quilt in front of the store should have been a dead giveaway.

I won't tell you what it cost me to get out of there, but gas would have been cheaper at $2.85 a gallon.

All was not lost, however, I found a place to eat the next time we come to town. After all we are on the famous Route 66. Of course it means we will have to alter our driving habits, but we don't mind spending the evening in Flagstaff. I'm anxious to try out the Cruiser's Cafe 66.

You have got to admit that it looks classy. What's not to draw you into the cafe, except it's closed at 8:30 am.

Even if I'm not a Harley guy I think I can go for the food!

One last classy shot!

Just Another Quiet Weekend or the "FAMILY-BLITZ Weekend"

JoAnn and I relish our quiet weekends together. We find time to play, do a little work, read a few books, and maybe watch a little television. Sorry Tim, no sports. In Indiana we used to go out for drives on Saturday afternoons. We could always find someplace in the country to go and enjoy ourselves. It has been a little more challenging in Las Vegas. The beautiful country is all desert and there are a limited number of times you can look at the desert. Instead we have taken to discovering some of the older neighborhoods in Las Vegas that have larger homes and have not had their owners escape to newer neighborhoods. But when we get a chance to leave town and see something other than desert, we jump at it.

Wednesday last we left late in the afternoon for Albuquerque to spend time with daughter 5 and her Marine husband. I had a little work to do that afternoon just outside of Searchlight, NV. We were at the Walking Box Ranch. "The Walking Box Ranch was built in 1931 by legendary silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow." More on that in another post. We left from there late and drove toward Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ (what a name) and then on to Flagstaff before we decided enough is enough. We got up early the next morning and left for Albuquerque and arrived in time to have lunch with Marine son-in-law. We went out to a little place called "Baggins", like in Bilbo (you will have to read the Hobbit). Excellent sandwiches. Be sure to put it on your go-to list in Albuquerque.

On the way into Bullhead City our air conditioner went out. Thank goodness for cool mountain weather. That is, once we got out of the Colorado River basin. We got it fixed in Albuquerque, but the car was in for a spa weekend. So we took the kid's truck to Aurora. Left on Saturday morning, had a great afternoon, evening, and Sunday morning with daughter 2, her Air Force civilian husband, their 4 kids and with daughter 1, who flew in, and her middle child.

It took me almost 2 minutes after our arrival to discover the quiet weekend was fully out the window! Daughter 2's son was receiving the Aaronic Priesthood (reason to travel, like we need a reason) and they had a party to celebrate his birthday. The noise level was off the scales. All the women were in the kitchen (I lost count) and the men were in the living room playing video games. Son-in-law's dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. I think we were both exhausted. I know I was after a 4 am get up and on the road for 8 hours.

Sunday after church we reversed the trip and headed back to Albuquerque. The Albuquerque kids have had so many family trips recently and have more planned, they couldn't take any time off. We got our car back on Monday late afternoon, and drove home on Tuesday.

Monday evening JoAnn and daughter 5 made chicken fajitas with guacamole sauce, all from scratch. We had some good meals on this trip, but this "hands down" was the best meal of the trip.

Tuesday we finished our not-so-quiet weekend with a drive home. We were exhausted and just sat in front of the tele and vegged last evening. But it was a great family-blitz weekend. We drove 2,000 miles in 4 days and still had time for fun. There are several more blogs and photos to come from this weekend.

I think next weekend is a quiet weekend, and the one after that, and the one after that, ....

End of the Season

It's the end of the season. Students are taking finals, graduation is scheduled for Saturday afternoon and then summer officially begins. Who cares what the calendar says, when classes are over, faculty are on leave, emails drop to almost zero - that's the REAL start of summer.


We held our last faculty meeting of the academic year - another sure sign of summer - and we won't have another one for 3 months and 2 weeks (not like I'm counting). I do love the academic year because it is so full of vitality, energy, and enthusiasm (the latter for the first 9 weeks of the semester). But today, as the semester winds down, we see students excited about summer internships, faculty making plans for travel, and of course writing.

In some ways the time between graduation and the start of the fall semester is the writing season. Every year I find myself busy with multiple writing projects. This writing season I am focusing on a new edition of my entry level textbook, and no, I don't write it alone. I discovered a long time ago it is a lot more efficient to write a book with colleagues you know and trust. I enjoy the writing, the planning, and especially finishing the book. There is a sense of accomplishment when it all comes together and you see it in print for the first time. Yes, I suppose it could be pride, but I try to hold that down.

It is the writing that I enjoy, painful as it is, and for me writing can be a slow and tedious process. What I enjoy is the research, gathering sorting, and organizing material to put in the book. It is a chance to catch up on what I see as new. It is a learning process, and I enjoy learning.

As the academic season closes the writing season opens and I have pen, paper, computer, and googlescholar in hand and am ready to go.