Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Season

Celebrating the 4th of July in Las Vegas

This evening JoAnn and I drove a little over a mile to an open gravel field and watched an arc of fireworks demonstrations covering 270 degrees of the compass. We live about 800 feet above the valley floor so we have a great view of most of the city and the strip. There are probably many cities where you can experience 270 degrees of fireworks, but from our perch we could see all of the Las Vegas strip and the many fireworks, plus those over in Henderson, almost 20 miles away, and many different casino and neighborhood fireworks. It seemed that in every direction we turned there were fireworks. They may not always be the most spectacular fireworks, but they were pretty darn good. There were probably 50 or more cars out in the gravel field with us. We don't worry about driving on the grass in Las Vegas. There isn't any!

And then it was home to catch the last few minutes of the Capitol Fourth PBS show (time delayed of course). What a spectacular fireworks show with the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington monuments framed by fireworks, along with the U.S. Capitol. And then, as a bonus, they replayed the whole show and we got to watch it start to finish. What a great way to spend the 4th - Fireworks, good music, the National Mall, great patriotic music - I love John Philip Sousa's marches. We were blown away by Steve Martin and his bluegrass band.

We were a little far away for photos in Las Vegas, but I captured a couple of photos from the National Mall concert and fireworks, in HD!

We hope everyone had a joyous 4th of July and remembered what the day means to us as our day of liberty and that we honor those who served and those who gave their lives to create sustain our liberty for the last 235 years. This is a great country and it is blessed of God.

Wordless Wednesday - Annual Cake Day!

Happy Birthday Michael

Seasons come and seasons go and birthdays are a measure of longevity. But more importantly, it's a time for remembering, enjoying, family, and fun. It was a cold icy day in Ames, Iowa when little Mike was born. Number six of seven children, he was as special as all the rest. Being the second boy meant he would have to endure sisters galore and didn't know he would yet have another little sister. Raising a family is always a challenge, but more often it is a joy, especially when you take time to stop and smell the dandelions. It's easy to smell the roses, but they aren't part of our daily life. The dandelions are more of a nuisance and we try to get rid of them in our yard, but when we stop to smell them we realize they too are part of God's creation. I like the dandelion analogy because it reminds us that little nuisances and challenges are what can bring great joy in our lives. In the same sense, our children are great blessings - each and every one of them - but they can be like dandelions and if we don't stop to smell them (read that as stopping to celebrate them) then we miss too much in their lives and our lives. Michael was one of our dandelions, and what a wonderful one he was and is, of course now I'd probably fine a different plant for him, but he remains a joy in our lives and those of his extended family. Moreover he has extended that family to include a beautiful bride (under 10 years of marriage you remain a bride) who has blessed all of our lives. I honor Michael on this birthday for who he is, who he has become, for his challenges which will make him stronger, and for his love of life, his eternal partner, and his family. Oh yes, and for his quirky sense of humor. Happy Birthday Son!

Happy Birthday Little Brother

It's been a long time since we were part of this photo. We were pretty good buds then and still are, we just don't talk enough. Those were the good times on 2nd Avenue just north of Des Moines with Grandma & Grandpa's house right behind us. As I recall that was one long hill to climb up - at least when we were young. Enjoy your birthday.

Happy Birthday Sally

Happy Birthday daughter number 4. You have always been special to us. I could talk about a lot of things, but today, on this your birthday I want to focus on a couple of important moments in your life that had meaning for all of us.

This evening as I was rummaging through our files and photos I came across a short letter from you to the newspaper nominating your mother for Mother of the Year on Mother's Day. It touched our hearts then and again today as we reread it. You were 16 and it was a reflection of the woman you have become:

"I nominate my mother, JoAnn McLean, because I love her. She is always there when I need her. She will listen to my problems and help me take care of my problems. She is the mother of seven and is the luckiest lady in the world, because we all love her. She takes care of me when I'm sick and was always glad to support my school activities. She is the nicest, sweetest and most wonderful person. I just want her to know I love her."

Not too many years later we gathered as a family in Salt Lake City for your wedding. It was a great event as you and Jay were sealed in the Temple. For us marriage of our children is a a celebration, but so much more as we see each of you assume the same role that Mom and I did so many years ago. We admire what you have done with your family, the growth and maturity you have, and the beauty of your family. We see so much of you in your children - mostly good - and you honor us by the way you live.

It was a solemn and wonderful experience  to see you and Jay kneel across the altar and take upon you the covenants of eternal marriage. This photo shows your love for each other. A love that has grown and will continue to grow as you two grow together. That growing never stops.

And as your parents, it was comforting as you stood next to us in the temple garden. It reminds us that somewhere along the way we did some good things and you have chosen to make the right decisions. One look at my hair tells you it must have been windy, or I forgot to comb it again.

Later, in Bloomington, our families gathered for a barbecue on the back patio. Until I saw this photo I forgot that Grandpa McLean and Grandma Ruby were there with us. That made it even more special.

As I have reread this with Mom I was struck by the similarity of another photo taken in Great Grandpa and Grandma McLean's backyard in Modesto, California in August, 1967, where the families sat around the picnic table and ate and visited. These are special moments that remind us on this birthday of how much we love you and our whole family. Have a great birthday sweetheart. Enjoy your family.

Happy Birthday First Born Son

I can hardly believe another birthday is upon us. That's all we do at our house is celebrate Birthdays. But then, that is a lot of fun, and especially when they are for our children. Born in Manhattan, KS while we were going to school at Kansas State University, Tim was a surprise, coming just 13 months after his big sister Suzanne. They were a tag team and we had trouble keeping up with them. Given that I have selected a group of special photos to honor Tim on his 35th Birthday. Happy Birthday Son!

Tim in the corner of our LazyBoy recliner (of course, some suggest that when I say
LazyBoy I'm referring NOT to the chair) that we had for all 7 children.

A growing boy needs to be fed and it doesn't matter how the food gets in his
mouth - right Suzanne? Although, if you look carefully, I'm not so sure that might
not be Jennifer.

It may not look like it in this photo, but Tim turned into a pretty good big
brother and Dad. At least he is all smiles.

We even provided quality time for Tim at the beach in Santa Cruze, CA.

This is a great photo taken in Ames, Iowa of Tim and his, at the time, 4
sisters. Please note he is sitting on my favorite couch.

Tim achieving his First Class Scout award on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout.

Tim graduating with the MBA, holding the next generation, and being admired by
Lonita and Grandma/Mom.

Happy Birthday Suzanne

It seems as if it was only yesterday that we moved to Manhattan, Kansas and JoAnn was 8 months pregnant. Don't ask and I won't tell. It was late evening, JoAnn was putting off going to the hospital since we didn't have any insurance. We were between schools and jobs. Not very good timing on my part, but we only lived 2 blocks from the hospital. In spite of the stress and challenge of moving and the 90 minutes JoAnn spent in labor in the hospital, we ended up with a beautiful little girl who today turns a little older, but I'm not allowed to tell you how much. Like all of our children she has been a delight to us. Enjoy a few photos of her early years.

Talk about precious, and new. She was just a few days old in this photo.

Please note that even at 1 year she couldn't keep her hands off. Without
JoAnn grabbing onto her hand it would be chocolate everywhere.

You can see she was into construction as a youngster, no wonder she
married a civil engineer.

Taken at Ledges State Park in Boone, IA, this photo of
our three little girls is one of my all-time favorites.

Little stinkers. When you are only 13 months apart you are best friends.

Sitting in the park in Ames, IA these two kept us busy just trying to keep up.

And as a mother of five. She has made us proud. Also, compare her
face with the previous photo - there is no mistaking who her.

A Busy Birthday Girl

JoAnn had a busy birthday today. Actually, the celebration started last Thursday when Krissie arrived. Among the first things they did was to get a pedicure. I'm not sure, but I think that makes any daughter visit "official."

 I went in to work for a little while this morning and stopped for a few things on the way home. It included a Snickers bar for JoAnn, cause she loves them and since it is her birthday it has to be "fat free." When I got home I gave her the Snickers bar and shot the following photo. Krissie and I were laughing as JoAnn was working towards a zero impact candy bar. Somehow I don't think she spent though time on the bicycle to make it happen.

However, a little later we went down to the strip to the Bellagio to see their atrium, which is always beautiful. I think we walked and perspired more than enough to make up for the candy bar. I shot the following photo of JoAnn and Krissie in front of a sculpted olive tree. The second one Krissie shot of the two of us. It came out pretty good. About 4 pm we dropped Krissie off at the airport and then we went home and crashed.

I love the butterfly in the olive tree.

It is still good to spend time with my favorite best friend and the love of my life.

Krissie is gone and we are home relaxing before we begin packing for our Idaho trip tomorrow. We are sure looking forward to getting out of town. We haven't traveled at all this summer which is unheard of for us. Of course, the birthday party continues once we arrive in Boise. I love thee non-stop birthday parties. My body doesn't, but I do.

Dad Is 90 Today (yesterday by the time I got this blogged)

My dad is 90-years old today. It is a major milestone. What's more he is in moderately good health - he can get around, still drives, and loves to be with his daughters, who all live close. JoAnn and I debated coming to the celebration since it is an 8 hour drive and we have to be in another city on Sunday. However, we had no compelling argument for not coming and so many compelling arguments for being where we belonged. So, at 4 AM this morning we left Las Vegas drove southwest to Barstow and then over the Techappi mountains to Bakersfield and north to Modesto. We arrived in time to surprise Dad - and surprised he was. He had no idea we would be here.

There is nothing better than a lemon cake - at least according to Dad!

One of the great blessings of moving west 3 years ago is the opportunity we have to see our children, my sisters and their families, and my dad and his wife on a more regular basis. It means a lot to us to have the opportunity to see all of them. We have reduced the 2 to 3 day drive time from Indiana to not more than 12 hours. The end result is our ability to spend more quality time with each family. Okay, we still have family in the midwest and may soon have 2 families back there, so our travels east are not over.

You realize of course it is not an official McLean function without food!

I never thought I would see my Dad turn 90, much less that I would be 64. I recognize the influence he has had on my life over those years. I think over the last 15 years I have come to appreciate that influence more and more. All too often we don't apprecite those we love until they have passed, in part because we need to see our own famliies grow in order to truly appreciate the impact our parents have on us. I wish my mother could have lived to see how all of our families have grown, although I know she knows.

We had a light lunch, games of dominos, lemon and chocolate cakes, and more dominos. I also found time for a nap. Even at 90 my Dad is still sharp enough to beat us at dominos and cribbage.

Enjoy the photos from today. There will be more on flickr later.

Dad & Marti looking over the birthday cards.

Checkers & cribbage is the official family game.

Dad & Linzie enjoying the moment.

Sally's Last Birthday Hurrah

I know this is late on Sunday afternoon - even for Las Vegas, but we have had a busy day, that of course included a little nap. When you hit your post hippie years (at least that was how Alyssa described me when she saw me in my plaid pants and red shirt) you need more rest. Plus, I discovered we must have taken a vacation from embarrassing our children and I had to hunt hard for photos. Sometime in the 1980s companies quit doing slides and we quit taking photos using slides. Bad idea! Following a diligent and detailed search I've found a few photos to finish off Sally's X1st Birthday. Hey, that's less than half my age or was I not supposed to say that.

Enjoy the photos Sally,

My personal favorite in this batch is our beach girl from our visits to Alabama, of course coming in the middle of an Indiana winter, Sally got her sunburn. What would she do without her mother?

Our little girl likes her hamburgers and never turns down a lap.

Somewhere with her best friend Melissa. Two sixth graders on the loose is dangerous.
Suzanne and Sally out front.
And here is almost the whole gang in a grainy dark photo, but everyone can find Strider in the front.

Sally has a certain unreasonable love for nutcrackers.

At the beach with the gang and check out the shark's teeth.
It's Mother's Day 1997 and Grandpa & Grandma Ruby were in town, however, why Sally gets to cut the cake is a mystery to me. She was no mother ... then!
And we finish with everyone's favorite dog - Strider.

The Perfect Weekend

There are lots of ways to describe weekends and perfect is a term that is used frequently. In fact, perfect is an overworked term. For example there is the "perfect game", the "perfect storm", the "perfect tense", and so forth. The term perfect is defined as, "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be." That's how I would describe this past weekend

We had all of our children with us in Boise, ID for our youngest son's wedding. It is always an event when we all get together and we all enjoy one another. What made Friday and Saturday special was that our family grew by a whole new family, not just a new daughter-in-law. We made new friends, strengthened family, and on Sunday as everyone was leaving we all felt great. Of course we were all so proud of Mike and Allison and the decisions they made. The daughters have already accepted her as a family member. The Newlyweds even showed up for an informal getting-away dinner on Saturday evening. I would never have done that as a newlywed, but they did, signaling to us just how important family is to them.

Youngest daughter and I drove to Utah for Sunday evening and early Monday morning (still the weekend) we took off for Las Vegas and hadn't gotten too far down the road when the first text message came in. Daughter 3 was in the hospital for the birth of a little girl (Hattie). By 2 pm MDT she had accomplished that miracle and as I talked to her later and asked how Hattie was doing, her response was "Perfect!" And so, you see it was a perfect weekend.

PS - I would be delighted to share a photo of Hattie, but the one's I have are just not cute enough.

Calvin's Yearbook Page and Bonus

Donna sent me two scans today. In an earlier post from today I said when I got them I would post them. You can click on each image and it will open a window showing the full size. The Memory Page from the Yearbook is first. Second is from a memorial football game by one of his best friends. Enjoy them as much as I have.

Three Days, Two Nights, Three Celebrations

When you are young you don't realize how busy life can get when you are older. You also don't realize how important small things become. Celebrations are "small things" that build great families. JoAnn wrote in her blog about our Modesto trip. It was 3 days and almost 2 nights, but the celebrations occurred in Modesto and Boise and we could only attend one of the three. Suzanne and Sally spoke of their celebrations - a birthday and an anniversary. Our's was a birthday bash and a father only turns 89 one time.


We have not lived close enough in 37 years to attend a birthday party for my father, yet this year we made the mad 8-hour dash north and had a Friday birthday lunch. It was so much fun! We found a new little restaurant about 4 blocks from Dad & Ruby's place and it was all comfort food, owned by a local group, and the food was almost as good as the companionship. I don't think I've ever seen Dad put away so much fish and chips. He even took my extra fish & chips home for later. And yes, he ate them.


Saturday was the big bash. All 3 sisters and families (that were in town) were present. It's a little overwhelming when we are all together. Everyone talks, some even listen, everyone is in motion, and it all centers around Jeri's kitchen. In all I think there were 13 of us plus 3 dogs. For a family that grew up without dogs, we sure have changed that! Of course, only Penny was allowed in the house since she doesn't consider herself a dog.

It was fun, company, presents, and family. Put it all together and you get a real feel for why families can love each other so much - in spite of our differences. When we get to the core we are more alike than different. Dad got in one game of cribbage and he must be getting old since I had to give him 2 points he missed. I don't think he ever missed any points before. And he still beat me! Of course the family dominoes game has morphed into a set of rules that focuses on cooperation rather than competition - although there is still a winner. It was a tad difficult to get a feel for the first game. I was more focused on "winning" than on cooperating. JoAnn won the first game and I didn't win the 2nd game. Wait, I didn't win any games.

At the end of the day we just sat out on the patio and relaxed. JoAnn and Jeri got a head start while I shot a few photos of them. Later, as JoAnn explained, we watched and listened for the owls. What a great family weekend.