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.

Speaking of Comfort

Following up on my reading comfortably post, I thought it was appropriate that I give due diligence to the one member of our family who has comfort down to a science. I'm speaking of our devil cat (daughter's name for our feline friend), the queen of comfort -- Whisper. She can be comfortable anywhere and sometimes in locations we have no idea where she is.

On the back of the sofa chair and almost
always on a blanket - especially one some-
one has made. Jeni in this case.

Her nap locations change based on the season and, I suspect, her whim. She loves the wicker love seat on the patio when it is below 100. When it's over 100 she is under the love seat on the paving tiles or on one of our outdoor chairs. There are also a couple of bushes she loves to be under. She can go to sleep anywhere, but I suspect her outdoor naps are less peaceful than her indoor naps. She is always looking for a gecko or bird she cat fetch. Just in the last few days she has started to come right up to the back door and sleep at the edge of the door. Fortunately it's a sliding glass door so we can open it and step over her.

Our peek-a-boo cat keeping an eye on us.

When she comes indoors on a hot day she walks over to make sure she still has food and then plops down on the cool tile and stays there until she has cooled off. She likes the half on - half off model also. Half on tile and half off carpet, if that makes sense. Sheets, not blankets, are her favorite this time of the year and since we moved the coffee table into the family room it too has become a place to relax. There are some other spots were not quite sure of. She will disappear in the middle of the day for a few hours and we aren't sure where she it, but when it moves her, she wanders in. Her favorite spot, hands down, are our office chairs. We can go into JoAnn's office and find her curled up in deep sleep or in my office doing the same. The sculpted contour of those chairs seems to fit her perfectly. It also makes it harder to get the hair off.

Who would have thought a coffee table would be the
place to be. She can also watch TV from here.

Given the length of this post, it would suggest I'm a little envious. I am. She can go to sleep anywhere, any time. In fact as I look out the kitchen door she is stretched out under the wicker love seat and her eyes are just closing, with paws under her chin. The ears are still moving just a little, like a radar dish just in case something exciting occurs, but no, it hasn't and the eyes artfully shut and she is out. Whisper truly is the queen of comfort.

The previous owner had a shelf above the spring tub and
kept his cacti on it. We keep our cat on it. She loves
the sun when it comes in.

Reading in Comfort

JoAnn enjoys a good reading chair. She has had several over the years. In the early years they were holding chairs for Joann and the current baby, rather than reading chairs. In those days it was and still is a good recliner. It's not about being able to lay back, but about sitting in a comfortable chair and reading.

A few years ago, when Chas was a baby, we were visiting in Idaho and sitting on the glassed in front porch (it was winter) and rocking on a glider chair. JoAnn fell in love with the chair, so when we got back to Terre Haute we went out and looked for a glider. I had no idea how much they could cost, but we found one we liked really well. It remains JoAnn's favorite chair today. She can spend hours in it reading. She has it located between a campaign table and our bed. Almost every evening when I fall asleep one of the last things I see is her reading. 

In May we went to Modesto to see my Dad and his wife. We stayed at my youngest sister's home. The bedroom had a wonderful chair, at least that is what JoAnn told me. She spent quite a lot of time in it and said, "It's wonderful. I love it." When we got back we found one - and we've been looking for over 2 years. It was a process of finding something that we both liked - especially since it is now my reading chair. Maybe not my chair, but on my side of the room. I'm always willing to share and she is beginning to enjoy the chair when I'm not using it and I only use it late afternoons and early evening to read and study. I have found I enjoy it as much or more than JoAnn. Thanks sweetheart for finding a chair for my back. It is great.

Wordless Wednesday - cat under hat

Role Reversal

Almost 3 weeks ago JoAnn had surgery on her foot. It was out-patient surgery and the stitches were removed in two weeks, but she has to walk flat-footed for 6 weeks. The first few days she spent on her back and after the first week she sat up more and has become increasingly more mobile. Suzanne was here for the first 5 days and that was incredibly helpful.

After Suzanne left I was pretty much responsible for keeping things going. I don't need any snide comments girls! The first morning after Suzanne left I did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen counter, put stuff away, got clothes going in the washer and drier, and tried to get everything as clean as JoAnn does. After about 2 hours I was beginning to understand why she doesn't get started on projects until about 2 pm. Since then, I've gotten better and quicker, and JoAnn has been more mobile and also helped out. Today I even vacuumed the floors and while I've done that occasionally, I'm like Whisper, when I hear her open the door to the vacuum closet I run and hide.

There have been some behavior patterns I really wasn't ready for. Last Thursday as we got up from lunch she walked over to the recliner and sat down. I looked down at the remains of lunch on the table and realized that I had just experienced a role reversal. I do try to help out in the kitchen and we do more and more together in the kitchen, but I suspect I'm AWOL pretty frequently. Now I know how JoAnn feels after preparing dinner, setting the table, and then being left to clean the table and kitchen. I also thought this was a 1 time role reversal experience, but it's becoming a habit. Not all the time, but more frequently. I think there might be a little payback involved here and I probably deserve it (once again, no comments girls).

I'm just anxious for JoAnn to make a full recovery - and she is doing very well - so we can reverse our roles once again, but with behavior change on my part. I have felt over the last several years that I was doing my part, but I realize now I wasn't, at least not enough. All those old rationalizations pretty much have to be thrown out with yesterday's garbage. They aren't even recyclable.

Father's Day Hopes

It's Father's Day again, my 41st as a father. JoAnn and I were talking about father's days and this father's expectations for our children. As we discussed the topic she said there was a difference between what my expectations were for our children and what they thought those expectations might be. That was both interesting and a little disconcerting.

I do have expectations, but I think the better term is hopes. Hopes are desires and beliefs in what you might become. They are less judgmental. I do not want you (forgive the tense change) to have a pass-fail perception about what I think you do in your life. You need to live your own lives - and you all do - and not worry about what I might think. However, on occasion I've been willing to share my thoughts without you asking for it. I'm trying to get better about that.

What are my hopes? They are simple. First, that you love your spouse and children and make them the most important people in your lives. Second, that you love our Heavenly Father and honor Him in your actions and thought. Third, that you find joy in living every day. That's it. Everything else is incidental to those. Like my own father, I'm proud of each of you and your and families and what you are doing with your lives. Each of us lives a different life. It was meant to be that way. What binds us is our family and the love for one another. Knowing that love is unconditional and free of expectation strengthens our family and allows us to grow individually and together.

This may appear as a bit of a ramble, but at the end of the day, it's what we do in our homes with our families that ultimately is important. It's my joy as a father to support, sustain, and assist (when asked).

Thanks for being such great daughters, sons, sons-in-laws, daughters-in-laws, and grandchildren.

Wordless Wednesday - people identification

I posted this photo earlier this morning and had a request from one daughter to identify everyone in the photo. The 2nd photo (click on it to make it larger) identifies everyone  in the photo except the dog. Enjoy it.