'End' Of An Era

Not that anyone will make note or long remember, "Oh, that was back in 2008 I think." But I have only four days remaining and my family will be cheated of nearly $400,000.00. And I can't stop that. The die is cast.

My time as an employee will come to an end. (at least for a while) And with that end is a big world wide celebration of a new year, a new world and a new beginning. I am ending my longest and last vacation.

I still don't have a plan. I have found that I won't be watching TV. I watch less now than I did before this vacation. And if they continue with this drive to 'digital TV' I won't be watching anything. I am really put-off by what I call 'digital moments'. You know the ones, where the picture has digital artifacts (those pixelated parts) and the sound goes out. It is like the television is confused for a few seconds.

And I'm put-off by the incessant advertisements telling me that, "Digital TV is so much 'better' and that is why the government has decreed that all stations 'MUST' broadcast in all digital." We should all know that the real reason is to move public broadcasting to a new band and take the current band (read channels) for 'homeland security'. Somewhere, someone will make money from the move. In theory, digital will be better. In reality we will accept a lesser experience with dropped sound or image because that is what digital does. To paraphrase the nursery rhyme, "when it was good it was very, very good; when it was bad it wasn't there at all."
And this is good! I will be spending less time in front of the TV and more time doing something else. Walking, cleaning out the basement, working in the yard?

Like the Cold, Reality Creeps In

I'm just starting to feel that I am no longer employed. Although I technically am on vacation until the end of the year, I am realizing that I don't have to return to the job.
I also miss the walk from the far end of the parking lot. I gained 8 POUNDS in 5 weeks! Have to cut back on food and increase walking.

Gasoline is way down! Yes, the price is, but so is my usage. I have gone from 2.5 gallons per day to .75 gallons per day. WOW! Or in economic terms, from $10.00 per day to $1.11 per day. At that rate I will have enough money to last a few additional years. Yippee!

Christmas is coming! I am done. I didn't want to go out yesterday, but I knew the weather was going to change and I needed to get shopping finished.

Crap! It really changed! It was 50 degrees when I went out at 3 pm. It was still 42 degrees and raining when we went to the grocery store at 9 pm. This morning I went out to scrape the ice off Sally's car so she could go to work. It was frozen hard, the doors were frozen shut and one tire was very low and the other three were less that full.

I started scraping her windscreen. I used the toothed side and scratched the bumps down but didn't get to the glass. I the car running while I checked her tire pressure. The front tires were down to 25 lbs. So I pumped them up. The air hose wouldn't reach the rear tires until I turned the car around. One rear was 25 psi and the other was only 12 psi. I pumped them all up to 34 lbs. and started on the windscreen. It was still icy but it yielded to the scraper. I stood in the driveway, in the 3 degree weather, in the 20 MPH wind, waving good-bye 'til she was gone from sight in her warm and ready carriage. Then I returned to the house and soaked up the warmth.

God! I am glad I retired! Now I can wrap gifts and clean house and worry about my kids and plan for the next thing to do. Which of the babies will I see next? How are those kids doing in school? Is everyone okay?

A New Avocation

I got the chance to do a project for Julieanna and Geoff. They needed child latches for the cabinets installed. And for me it was additional time with Cora.

Julie made soup and grilled cheese while I fed Cora. She is a good eater! So while I was spooning it in, I worked on teaching her to wink. Of course I knew she can't wink! That is the fun of it. She doesn't yet have the ability to wink; but she tried and it was adorable. She blinks and then smiles with pride.

By the time lunch was ready, Cora was wink response ready. Julie gave her some crackers and I would wink at Cora. Cora would 'wink' at her mom and smile. About the third time Julie said, "What's with that face?"

I said, "That's not a face, she's winking." Then I winked and Cora winked and Mom was amused. It is so much fun to experience these kids learning something; but, SO REWARDING when it is something you have taught them.

Then I put the locks on. Cora was right at my elbow, crouching down to have a better view under my arm. I think next time she will be able to install them. For a while she will be safe. No cleaners for her. But I wouldn't trust them absolutely. She is smart and her little hands can reach in easily. It won't be long before she figures it out.

Almost Retired

Well, a lot has occurred since the last post on November second. I worked until November 13, Thursday. And I use the term 'worked' very loosely. My delivery manager is great to work with and we had only two projects still active by the thirteenth. I had many people ask why I was leaving on THURSDAY. I wondered why they would ask!

I have enough vacation time (30 days) remaining to take me through year end. Why would I work one extra day? So the folks in the area took me to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory! Their meat loaf is delicious. And they gave me a very generous gift card to The Home Depot. Two people I used to work with directly took me out to lunch on separate occasions. And a couple of very special friends gave me farewell gifts also.

By the time l left on the thirteenth , it was hugs and kisses and tears. I will miss the folks intensely. They are some wonderful people who all pulled together and pitched in to help when someone had a problem with their work load.

Saturday the fifteenth Sally and I took off to Missouri by way of Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. I know, I know, that is not 'on the way'. Cabela's has a store there that is one of three distribution centers in the country. If I find a pair of pants that I like but they are not in my size or the color I want, the clerk will call the attached warehouse and order them down. In ten minutes or so they are ready. So away we went. We did our shopping and headed on through Iowa. We stopped for the night in the middle of Iowa.

Then Sunday we got on the road and drove and drove and drove. We went through a lot of country I've never been through before. It was nice to see; but a very long drive to Kimberling City, MO. We got there about five or six o'clock. We had dinner at my sister and brother in-law's home. We visited and planned our activities.

We went to see the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans museum. It had a lot of memorabilia and the story of their lives. Then we saw Yakov Smirnoff. That was a first class show. He is very funny and the whole production was very entertaining. The theater was full of folks. I think they said 1600. We saw the 'New Shanghai Circus'. It was very good acrobatics and adagio. However there weren't that many people there, less than one hundred. I picked a real looser.

The Jim Reeves Tribute show. Jim Reeves was a country ballad singer in the fifties and sixties. He was a phenomenal talent who had a fear of loosing his voice. This drove him to record many songs and save them in a vault. Although he died in 1964, since 2003, the US based VoiceMasters has issued over 80 previously unreleased recordings by Jim, including new songs that fans have not heard. The show was his 60+ year old nephew doing a few songs and telling his story between breaks. The warm up act was a big fellow from east Texas and a blond 'contest winner' from east Texas who had 'won' the chance to perform in Branson, MO. She did three gospel numbers one at a time and he did three sets. Her family came with her. There was her mom and dad, husband, two kids and sister and brother in-law. Then there were six people in the front row and I think three other couples. I bet it is hard to perform for such a small audience.

And we saw the Osmond's Christmas Show also. It was Jay, Jimmy and Wayne. It was a real first class show and it too was a full theater. The troop was an excellent group of dancers. They did some of my favorite holiday songs like Santa Baby.

We spent Thursday at Silver Dollar City. When I was a kid of eleven or twelve I took a trip with my grandmother's neighbor to Albuquerque. Down historic Route 66. As we went by Silver Dollar City it was a small outfit in what seemed like nowhere. But like everywhere in this country, it has built up and developed. There are an unbelievable number of holiday lights on every wall, tree and shrub. The shops in the park are craft shops of high quality furniture and articles made by hand. It was really very nice but my leg was killing me.

Friday the twenty-first we got up and hit the road for home. We bought gasoline for $1.55 in Missouri. It was a long drive but wasn't bad after we got into Illinois. Actually none of it was bad; it just seems like we are almost home once we cross into Illinois.

That is the end of week one of semi-retirement.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween came again, much to our excitement. We have fallen in step and decorate a bunch. Sally has a talent for building these little vignette in the corner of the front porch. A bale of straw, a string of ghost lights and a string of pumpkin lights draped on a home made chair. Some knick-knacks and a cauldron of smoking brew.



Tinker Bell was first to arrive. I took several pictures of Logan and she is making so many different expressions. It was hard to choose. She was so non-plused being set in a pile of leaves.



The Cephalopod was very good at maneuvering around her tentacles. Cora is very cute and good natured about it all. These little ones didn't go Trick or Treating.


Alex is next to the oldest. He was a Hobo carrying his jack o'lantern on a stick. Alex also did not last too long door to door. He got his fill of candy and came in.

Ashley was a NU Wildcat fan. That's not a stretch! They all are. She stayed out the longest and came home with not a lot more than her brother.

Here you can see a bit of all four. The older kids enjoy the babies.

And Tinker Bell was a darling of the trick or treaters coming up on the right. The ten or eleven year old girl was really smitten.

The girl whom you hear off camera and her sister of about eight came up the stairs and Kyle went in the door to get the candy. He dropped a Snickers bar in her bag and she handed him a religious pamphlet and said, "Jesus loves you."

Kyle took it and said, "Thank you." Then gave a candy bar to her little sister.

She said, "I'm all out of God!"

Play Time!

Is this a hockey game, a boxing match or introduction?

Cora said, "Follow me." Logan watched her every move.


"Drat! How does she do that?", Logan said. Logan has all the parts to crawl but they just don't work together; but she can roll and scoot.

She just watched Cora cruise away.

Cora shows Uncle Kyle how to play this thing. Cora thinks it's a pinball machine. She gets the music going and then wiggles and bumps and shakes it.

Cora Explores the Art of the Deal

Hi Grandpa. What you doing?



Can I play with your computer? How about just the cords? They're my favorite. I like cords. I'll be your friend.

(I left one above so you can see how they were from Picasa)

I like the direct upload better.

I'll just read my book then. Is this right side up? It looks different.


It's not easy to turn her down.

Kyle At Play

Logan is playing with Kyle on the floor


Julieanna plays with Cora on the floor. But Cora plays with Mom all the time. Kyle is someone new!


Since Cora is mobile she can go to Kyle on her own. (shades of things to come? Early independence?)


Kyle held their rapt attention for a while.

Preparing for the baby duel.

Crawl ten paces, turn and -- YOU CAN'T CRAWL!
Never mind then. I'm not going twenty paces.


There was no insult to honor. I'm making this up too.

Cora The Pinball Wizard

It's a good thing there isn't a 'Tilt' on this.

But she can shake that thing!

Keep scrolling; there are four new ones!

New Kid on the Block

The new kids come to a meeting of the minds. Would you believe a meeting of the heads? Well just watch.

Now you see how the alpha-f dominates the younger child. Mobiility and cunning give her the advantage.

But I bet her day is coming. When Logan gets to the same stage we'll see this play out again.

Some Day Logan will be mobile.

Logan gets a head-butt and taunted.

Cora says, "You can't stop me. I can touch my ears! I bet you can't."

Logan so wants to get over there. But she trips, in a manner of movement.

Cora says, "I got the ring! I'm going to get your pacifier." Cora has no idea what it's for. She just likes to squeeze it between her fingers.

Poor Logan is powerless to stop Cora. She is left to wonder, "How in God's green earth does she do that?"

"Some day I'm going to surprise her.", Logan says.

Why do I make this stuff up? Why?

Cora is a sweetheart, too.

Logan The Cadet

Logan would get a superior rating on the flexibility portion of her test. I was going to try this too.

But then I came to my senses. I'll just take those smiles.

Cora and the Corapillar

Cora came to visit while her mom and dad went out to a movie and dinner. She is teething again but she was a very good girl. She only fussed a little bit twice. We played and talked and read.


See this ball? I can throw it! I just don't know where it will go.


Even though I like my name sake, the Corapillar, I still really like these balls that shake, rattle and roll. Sometimes they fly!


I'm going to get up while holding this little puffer fish. Just watch me pop up.


See how easy that is. This is standing. Now I'm moving my feet while standing. When I get good at this I think I will be able to get around the room holding on to furniture.


See how well this works. I'm pretty proud of this. It makes me want to bounce and holler.


Uh-um! Good! Kinda salty like anchovies; but texture is like oysters. Good thing I practiced with my tongue all these past months.


Grandpa, can I wipe my mouth here on your knee?


Thanks! That feels better.

And she plays nicely. Gotta love this girl!

Logan Came To Our House Today

Well, she came with her parents. What a little doll. She came in all smiles and happy to come to Grandpa. She was just as happy to go to Grandma too.

Kyle and Sarah had been to Delavan, WI for a week-end get-away to celebrate their SECOND ANNIVERSARY. My how time flies. They forgot to take their camera so they purchased a disposable camera and wanted to burn up some film on the BEST subject.


I might be prejudiced butI think she is a pretty girl.
Look at that smile.


Her parents looked pretty good too. Glad to see them all and had a nice visit.

Then it was feeding time for the little angel. She was trying something new! Uh-um Good!
Well not to Logan!


Logan said, “This pureed chicken white meat makes me PUKE!”

I was just taking pictures when it came back up. I'm sure this photo will be blackmail worthy when she is a little bit older.

This experience turned her off of food. She likes peas, normally; but not this evening. She gagged on peas, she gagged on formula! Eventually she was able to take her bottle. Poor thing.

A Political Tangent

It occurs to me the G. O. P. wants things both ways and always to favor them. They were quick to trot out the tragic Downs child of Mrs. Palin. My what a wonderful person. She is the "perfect" running mate as John McCain said.

She has a litter of kids, is ultra conservative, is Pro-life with a personal tragedy to prove it. She has strong family values, is a life long member of the National Rifle Association, promotes hunting of Alaskan big game. She is young to balance John being old. Female to draw Clinton supporters.

Oops. There is a matter of a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant. She must be a Democrat, because Republicans don't have sex. But that should be off limits. Kids should not be political targets.

I couldn't agree more. They shouldn't have paraded the Downs child out either. I think it is unscrupulous to have played that card also. The IQ, health and activities of their children are not political fodder. It should have been more than enough to have said she has five children. End of story.

Palin's 17 year old should be allowed her privacy. She needs her mothers and her fathers love, support and reassurance. I would think that she is resentful that her mother has caused the public display of her indiscretion. It would be like having your mother telling the world, on the evening news, that you had a crush on Billy or indelicately told of her first period.

I don't think it is all the fault of her mother. The media bears a huge responsibility for this. They should have known that this girl had no part in the battle and NEEDS her privacy. If they were to perform their due diligence in the investigation of the candidate there are either other issues in her past to indicate her quality of parenting, managing or life style or there is nothing to discredit her. They should have dug deeper, they should have dug somewhere else.

This is just my opinion, but I don't think the media should keep harping on this girl. They should be looking at the lies about Palin's green record, the lies about her ear mark record. The conduct of her office of mayor, her conduct as governor of Alaska. How big a deal is Alaska. She hired lobbyists as mayor of Podunk (pop. 8000) to secure $11 million in earmarks. Hmm, $1375 for every man, woman and child. As the governor she refused an ear mark of $300+ million for the infamous 'bridge to nowhere'. Yeah! Isn't she an agent of change and a stand up governor? Well, she did keep the money, just not the bridge project. Technically 'she' didn't keep the money, she had Alaska keep the money.

At least we only have two months to endure the campaign rhetoric and sort out enough facts to make an intelligent decision. Let's hope there are no lurking skeletons in the closets to break the hearts of the voters.

Labor Day Week-End End

Monday was beautiful again. It was the best weather for Labor Day that I recall in several years.

The group is in a rut. Lots of 'beach time'. This was Pottawatomie Bayou Park. At least it was grassy.


This was no one we knew. It is a picture of the park and bayou.


We don't get up from ground level very well. Some still sit in the sun while others chase the shade.


Kathy and Paul come back from a dip. Judy and Phyllis went too.


Again this is a total stranger. But she was so cute I just had to take her picture carrying her fish back to the lake.

Busy Sunday

Sunday we got up and all went to Muskegon, in two vehicles, for the 'Lakefront Spectacular'. The paper made it sound terrific.

We couldn't find it, the art & craft fair. We could find the lake front. We eventually saw a Fire Station and asked for directions. While we waited in the vehicles another pulled in and a lady got out. Just then a fireman came out pointing in the direction we should go. The lady asked the same question and he said, "Just follow them."

So off the three vehicle caravan went, blindly following the leader. Only the leader heard the directions. It was quite a ways that lead to a tent full of folks. I think we disturbed their Sunday service. We all backed out of the lot and drove around to the other side of the park

It wasn't as big as we expected. Nor was it as 'spectacular' as the paper made it sound.


These wooden roses were the most artful thing I saw there. They were made from wood shaving rolled up and dyed. Or dyed and rolled up. (Click on any picture to enlarge it)


Then we walked to the channel. There was a lot of boat traffic.


Then back to the house for lunch. Quaker like the girls made lunch on one side.


The guys waited on the other side.

The covey scattered like quail. Some went to the antique mall, some tried to recover. Roger and I went to the Grand Haven lakefront to take a walk. The weather was great again. We were both there to 'take a walk' so we didn't poke along.


The beach was lined with people.


As we walked out to the lighthouse the beach was loaded all the way out to the park we were at on Saturday.

As it turned out Roger had also wanted to take a walk. His company is sponsoring a wellness campaign and he is supposed to walk every day. We went around 10,500 steps. He now knows that he needs to start farther away to reach his 15,000 step goal. that is a big goal.

Labor Day In GRAND HAVEN, MI

Know by the Light that this IS Grand Haven.

The sky was sapphire, the sand was soft, the wind was west and the waves were warm.


Not my kite (yet). It looks like it would be a good traveler with no battens. It flew for hours. Many folks like to just run up a kite and anchor it while they are on the beach.


Some just sit to be irradiated. Some play in the lake. Some make shade. There are a lot of ice chests. It wouldn't surprise me if the commercial ice capitol of the world is Grand Haven, MI. Some set the baby in the sun. And the Grand Haven beach has 25 or more volley ball nets. Don't for a minute think that it was the Olympic mania or NBC's love of beach volley ball. This was happening before that.


Most of the courts were full of beautiful young people who appeared not to have feet. Yes, I said NO FEET. I took many more photos of folks buried to their ankles in the soft sand than I caught in stride showing their feet. But they all showed a lot of skin. I hope they were dipped in SPF 85.



This house is just across the street from the beach. A beautiful view of beautiful Lake Michigan. I wonder if they appreciate the setting as much as I think I would. Or do they grumble about the traffic, the hoards and the constant, consistent views.


But here sits the council of former 'beautiful people'. We sit in the shade (or the crazy ones in the sun) and converse about our kids, our grand kids and our health, diagnosis and prognosis. We are old and immobile, but enjoy the mix of views, opinions and counsel of friends. We don't get together as often as we did when we played a 'volley ball like' game in our youth. I need the balance brought, by good friends, to my cynicism.


The wind died down so that I set my kite loose to climb readily into the beautiful sky. And this blue sky is not aided by polarizing filter! It would have been nearly black with a filter.


As we left the beach we saw a wedding on the shore. Or perhaps just the photos were being taken there.

The remainder of the weekend was fun. I was too busy living it to take a lot of pictures.
Thanks to great friends I am renewed. Ready for another 50 days of work.

A Stay at Home Week-end

Saturday after I mowed the lawn I sat down to enjoy the pond. To my surprise we have a frog again. We had a large one and a medium one in the old pond. Alas they were disturbed when the pond was rebuilt and we haven't seen them since.

Now suddenly here is a medium sized frog in all his glory. Where has it been? Did it walk here or is there a frog bus? What ever! Here he is.



The plants are doing well. They are not all over the place and the pond is clean. Only clear the skimmer net every couple weeks and it is so easy now. It has experienced some evaporation in August. Not much rain in weeks now. I added a couple of inches a couple of times. The sounds are good and visually it is very pleasing. I sit on the garden bench and wish that we had friends to share it with. We are going to have to plan somethings.



There is some algae and it is getting 'naturalized' the fish are thriving now. They are getting more brave and come out to feed. They have areas to hide in the rocks. I usually sit down and throw the pellets in one or two at a time. The current sweeps them into the filter if I just dump a bunch in before the fish can eat them. If I sit and throw them in they get almost all of them in 5 minutes.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

The full Lincoln Family. These excellent wax figures stand in the court of the museum. You may photograph only in this atrium area; not in the exhibits or theaters. Many visitors pose with these life size figures for pictures. That always seems odd in a way. Obviously we are not contemporaries; but, people want to make a connection with history (or is it greatness).



In this theater, the story of or is it the portrait of Lincoln is told. There are screens on the left and right and ancillary images are displayed there as the story is told. The seating has motors connected underneath that shake you as the cannon fire and the cavalry charges. The stage apron opens and smoke rings from the cannon float through the theater. It is a very entertaining presentation about Lincoln's image and how it was shaped by events in his life.


This theater presents Ghosts in the Library. Done with special effects that uses projection to bring to live images that seem so real. The plot is explaining the function of the library and museum. How the artifacts are acquired and shared. You really ought to see it.

We have seen it twice and I would gladly see it again.



There is no photography 'in' the exhibits, but I took this photo from the atrium. This is Mary Todd Lincoln's dress. Also in that exhibit were dresses of Mrs. McClellan, etc. They are displayed in the open so you can really see the detail in fabric and construction. There is NO touching and NO photography.

There were people who think that doesn't apply to them. Invariably it has been middle aged to older women. It takes only moments for security personnel to reach them and reprimand them for their transgression. Last visit it was touching the fabric or leaning into the space too close and the sensors go off the guards are guided by and observer to the offender.
This visit it was a woman about forty taking pictures, the guard made her leave the exhibit.

This is a temporary exhibit area. The last time was dresses of the first ladies This time it was of Mrs. Lincoln and her contemporaries.

One of only five Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's own hand was also displayed. It is really a well done museum.




Here McClellan and Grant have coffee on the porch of the white house. I could walk right up to them and stare at what would be a offensive distance. They look remarkably real. The skin detail, the hair.


John Wilkes Booth evil wretch! Obviously guilty even here.





Across the street is the restored train station that Lincoln gave his farewell to Springfield address at. It is now used as a visitor center.