I need to sell 10 kits by Mar 10. Would you mind helping out? The kits are only $10 a pop and perfect for Easter gifts/projects. (And they are FUN!)
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About Me
- Larky Park
- Colorful, textural clothing & accessories made from vintage, salvaged and modern materials. Wholesale Retail Online Ordering
149 comments:
Thanks Laura and Hols - (Nat, I understand...) 2 down , 8 to go!!!
Thanks ELizabeth and mom! C'mon folks how can you say no to a warm rice crispie treat with eyeballs?
What I wouldn't give for a warm rice-crispie treat with eyeballs right now....
It watches ou WHILE you eat it. No, that's not creepie...
The kids really got into this, I liked how it was so simple for me. Abi was really ticked at the chocolate though, "Im afraid I'm going to have to keep warming it up AGAIN AND AGAIN!!" bethan and thomas had two done and one eaten by the time abi finished hers, typical!
Hmmm ... four months. I'd say these cookies are getting a little stale.
If I come on this blogsite and see that Cookie Poster ONE MORE TIME, I think I just might go stark, raving mad ...
Where are you, Child???????
I think she's gone the way of Levi's Tattoo Lane. Submerged in life, it's hard to entertain the masses on a regular basis.
Or maybe she's just GETTING OLD?
You know we could just hi-jack this blog and let it become our own little communication space, bro.. What dya think? Quiet, doesn't get a lot of traffic... this could work.
Sounds fine to me. I did that with Levi's for awhile. Be careful, though. I did see her mention it on the famblog, albeit mistakenly, so she does remember she has it.
Plans changed last night. Going to have to forsake the annual Blues Festival day for a weekend at the coast on the beach. My life ... so full of difficult choices!
Beach was beautiful, but you're still not posting. Tell me true ... was it the e-mail about the naked bike ride?
No, remember I was six when you were born and had ample time to see your naked little patootie. The cuteness factor is usually in an inverse relationship to age, though BR may contest this statement.
Maybe it's something about this site, but I had forgotten about our proposition to hi-jack it... am now having some difficulty recalling my name ... help, get me out of here before I forget how to tupe, no, tipe, uh, tape???? It's getting so foggy .....
Be like me and just relax into the alzheimer's! Old movies and books are new again! Make new friends in your very own home! Discover new horizons every time you open your eyes!
Ah, it's so exciting.
I just want you to know that I do appreciate your attention to this blog site, dear bro. The children seem to be off having adventures in the sunshine this season while I, far from the golden rays most days, am hanging onto my wits only by the threads of your posts...life is beginning to resemble "50 First Dates"....aaayyyiiiieeee!
Your wits are at serious risk, then!
I shall endeavor to be a dependable lifeline, then. Uh, except for July 16 - 20, when I shall be attending Patsypalooza. 'Tis the sixth annual Palooza, bringing together 30 - 70 friends, aquaintances and newbies for a weekend of camping, rafting, and pork, lots of pork, on the MacKenzie River in central Oregon. Our friends, John and Pat (she puts the Pats in Patsypalooza) have a cabin there and we all tent up and enjoy a hot weekend together with water activities, food and usually a band or three on the front porch. BR will be working this year (again!) and will not be able to attend. I shall return just in time to celebrate my double -nickel birthday on the 21st. A day upon which she shall be working (again!) She will be teaching a greek-cooking class with her bff Athena, who will be up from the bay area, visiting.
Anyway, good to see you here. I'm too lazy to get my own website, so it's good of the kids to provide the occasional place for us to meet semi-privately.
We too are having a Fun Long Weekend over those dates. We are heading down to Augusta, WA (not Washington, but Western Australia)for a time of R&R with the Adams Family (similar to the sitcom, but with more wit and less black). On the docket are checking out the whales that are making their appearance off the coast. The friend who is putting us up in little vacation houses has also had a flock of frisky black-faced lambs born this last week, so I'm sure Noni will have her camera out for the grands' enjoyment. I'm hoping pork is in there someplace, too. Although it may be found in the sole Asian restaurant in town. Early Happy Birthday greetings to you Bro! I "think" I sent you your BD card before we left the States - you and Chad are the July Boys - but I could have mixed you up with Cedar & Zack, the June Boys. Ay-yy-yy! This is not good! So, Athena is still in the neighborhood? Good friends are a treasure as are Good Brothers! Love ya!
Well, she's back, Cindy, so I guess play time is over. Unless ...
We could still hide out here. Nobody is going to be visiting the Crayola Cooking Kits post - it is SO over. Although once we get up to 34 posts someone may come nosing around...hmmmm...
Right, then. This is the secret clubhouse, down over the hill, just beyond the catalpa tree. Stocked with fruit from the lone blueberry bush. Don't forget bug spray ... the swamp is birthing a few million skeeters this summer. Meet me by the treehouse.
Or we could scoot across the street to the old apple orchard - first tree on the right has some great "places" to park your patootie. And the apples are within reach. We don't even need to venture out of our green canopy!
Ah, it's been a long time since I had a case of the 'green-apple two-step!'
BTW, when was the last time you ventured into the old neighborhood? I think I have decided not to return anymore...it's much fairer in my memory - our backyard looks like something that a valiant young warrior would have to hack through in order to rescue the young maiden...sigh, all those years of mowing down the toilet .... when I could have been at the beach.
BR and I chatted it out and we think the last time through was 1992, the same year we stopped for a visit in Valpo. That, too, was probably the only time besides Beth's wedding that all the kids have seen BR at the same time.
I'm toying with the idea of going to the LPHS '72 40th class reunion. I would definitely drive down 5th street and cruise all the old haunts. Perspective can be devastating and helpful.
Yeah, I have found that I really enjoy tooling around the lakes (Stone and Pine) because not a whole lot has changed. If you close your eyes you can drop 50 years in an instant. I can remember how we used to stake out an area by the Channel, throw down our blankets, put the cooler underneath the picnic table, park the lawn chairs in the sun and debate about who was going to have the first ride behind the boat. And if I happen to get a whiff of gasoline on the water ... I am just THERE! It pays to try and fill your life with good memories; the older you get the closer to the surface they live. BTW, I probably won't get back here until next week. We leave Fri nite and will stay in LA to see Nat until Tues. Byeee for now!
Say hi to Nat for me. We are in conversations about him visiting Portland in mid-September. Of course, that is the week we are loading an opera in to the theater. But I have two possible nights that I could see him, so maybe something could work out.
Yeah, the lake ... I get the whole gasoline thing. Whenever I hear the rumble of a classic Chris-Craft, I'm swept away.
If I do get back to La Porte sometime, (summer, hopefully) I'm going to grab a bag of salty potato chips and a couple of beers (longnecks, anyone?) and head down to Ski Beach. Those flavors and that location ought to scrape about fifty years off my soul for at least a couple of minutes. I seem to remember a picture of me at about 30" tall, upending either a Schlitz or a Black Label into my rotund wee belly, while standing on that beach.
It's weird bein' old.
You were one to find the empties and to check out the dregs ... BTW, I need an updated pic of you and BR. The last one got in the way of the spray from water cascading down through our ceiling.(We discovered it one of the times we returned home from one of our jaunts - hence, the connection). Nat is looking forward to heading up to the Portland area. Hope you two can find an evening to share - you would love the work he's done for a restaurant near to his house. So cool - huge doors, neat stools, etc. He reminds me of a cross between you and Dad. Gotta love that guy!
The waterworks story sounds sad. I wish that type of discovery on no one. Ick!
I'll see if we have something presentable in the e-files for our picture. I don't know if there's anything remotely current. Friends would be a better source for that. I'll ask around. I suppose we could just take one. Hmm ... novel idea.
I'm back at work for the first time since mid-May. Can't say I'm excited, but it do pay the bills. Where did that summer go?
Speaking of work - how does your body respond after such a respite? Does it enjoy the time of R & R or do you feel like you have get back in shape? I was feeling some hidden muscles after ripping out 15' of ivy that had cascaded over a wall onto our walkway. The gardening sessions talk to me for hours after I've finished...but I do love being out in and amongst all the little green, growing things.
Work and RnR are different animals.
Work is five weeks in an office (with occasional grunting in the warehouse) followed by two+weeks in the theater including one 70-80 hour week.
RnR is 8-20 miles on a bike most mornings (pushing it the whole way) followed by house projects or adventures.
Yoga figures in both milieus, most mornings. That has been going on for a year now.
I feel stiff this morning because I did none of those things yesterday other than finishing up a house project. I will bike and yoga and head off to work this morning.
When the rains hit, I will probably bike less and mount the elliptical upstairs more. If I didn't do this stuff, I'd probably be coming down the stairs one at a time in the mornings again. I don't mean that I bound down them now, but that I don't right/left each individual step. Walking naturally, I mean to say.
Yoga, even the little bit I do each morning, makes a vast difference. Getting heart rate up each day for a half hour helps, too. I end up in bed by nine-thirty a lot and up at five.
I see a chiro on occasion and am loathe to give up my monthly massage. I do feel aging but I'm trying to be pretty proactive about my body. People still gape when I tell them my age. Currently, they're still guessing about ten years behind, That's down from fifteen about 7-8 years ago.
As far as aging goes, I'm still saying, "Catch me if you can."
Oh, yeah. Er, um, Happy Birthday!
(Again, where does the time go?)
OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH - massage. At one time seemed wierd, now the idea makes me want to break into the "Hallelujah Chorus" - age does put another slant of things. I trust you are still rifling through the pics to find me a current photog. (I shall not be deterred.....) Thanks to Grandma Schreiner's crepey eyes, no one guesses my age to be 10 years less. But I do owe to her their amazement that I don't dye my hair. At 61 there's only a few greys here and there. Oh well,no sense getting one's shorts in a knot. It will all be worm food at some future date and I will be OUTTA HEAH!!! Yay!
Don't be deterred. I am looking for time to look. BR is at her folks' place for a week, so nothing too fresh is in the offing.
Work is prevalent and my friends seem to think that, when wifey is gone, it is time to get Rick out and socializing. Suddenly I have five nights planned and two of them are out of town rafting and camping.
I'm saying you might be waiting a bit.
Off for the 6am bike ride.
Party photos coming later today.
The party photos I have not checked out yet. The photos of BR looking not a day older than the last time I saw her and you squinting into the sun I have seen. (How does she do it???? It must be all that moist air keeps the skin plumped up and the wrinkles filled in....maybe Portland does have some unheralded perks) I want a pic I can brag on, dear brother....shake a tail feather, luvie.
Ahem ... NOT retired! Full plate, here.
Have you checked your e-mail?
Those would be the party photos.
Does your bragging require that we look aged? We have no help for you, then.
You should have a pile of photos in your emailbox now!
Granted, they are from across time, but hopefully enjoyable, nonetheless.
Have I lost you?
No, no. It's just that when I'm out of the country, I live for my cyber contact with the world and when I'm home the world gets me in a choke hold (work, counseling, doing coffee with the buds, etc) and my e-time is severely curtailed. Yes, got the photos - the 70's shots are being put in a vault in case I ever need any bribery shots...heh, heh, heh...
Cin - not Hols, only her computer
How dare you have a life!!!
I'll stand by the old photos. I've nothing to be ashamed of ... as far as you know.
Did I ever tell you about the time I ended up in the back of a van with Geri & Jim Riley? Weren't we all surprised to find out she had had a crush on Rick Schreiner and that I had dated Jim, her husband. Boy, it's really bad when you don't even recognize people you dated in highschool - the years do take a toll, sigh. So what I'm saying is that your past can pop up in the most unexpected places, bro!
You don't have to tell me. Geri Riley rings a bell, but I'll have to unearth the yearbooks to bring out the dusty remembrances of the past. Naivete has dogged me all my life when it comes to who likes who. I'm trying to make it look cute these days. The Alzheimers jokes are starting to wear thin, though. Sooner or later I'll cross someone who's actually felt the impact of that disease and I'll have to retire those references with abiding shame.
I did not find her. Was she older than me?
No, she was a year or so younger than you. Think hot Puerto Rican chica. She's on Facebook. Look her up .... are you on Facebook?
I assiduously have avoided Facebook. How much time is there in the day? But you've jogged my memory and I, miraculously, do remember her now.
I may cave on the Facebook thing at some point. It's guarantteed that if I do, it will be just before it goes the way of MySpace.
And I just remembered: her name was Geri Gonzalez back then. THAT'S why I couldn't find her!
Wow, you just never know when one of those drawers in the brain cabinet are going to come flying out and present you with some odd bit of info filed long ago.....
It's true that Facebook can be a bit of a trial for the addictive personality but I think you have enought "No" in your personality to use and not abuse. I mean I ran into Kim Deuitch P...(forgot her married name) She asked about you. There is just a small little group of people that can remember the days before Fifth Street looked like the ghetto it does now. Did you know that Jack Deuitch died this summer? Ya know, his face never changed all that much; his hair just got grey/white. I liked that man. Anyway, all that to say, Facebook can take you down some interesting trails....
Ok, Ok, you've planted the Facebook seed.
Jack was truly one of the good guys. Sorry to hear he's moved on. He always called me Pancho, but from photos of me as a small child, I've realized he was calling me Pauncho. I had a kiddy gut.
Fifth street looks like a ghetto? I had no idea. I'm considering visiting for the 40th class reunion in '12. I can wait until then for the disappointment, I guess. Perhaps the vanity edge will keep me in shape for the next couple of years, in preparation. Whatever motivation I can find is the good one, I suppose.
I may not have the most current e-add for Zach. What are you using?
Your little "paunch" was SO CUTE! I had forgotten he called you that!
Yeah, 1600 has become a nature preserve with trees growing up the barbeque (and probably dislodging a few stones). I don't know if I could even see the wishing well anymore. All the Deuitchs' house needs is a washer on the porch and a car on blocks to complete it's deterioration. If you do the Street Tour, be prepared....
Zach can be reached at the.balons@gmail.com.
You'll look great for your 40th. Probably be the only one to get carded in the whole group....;)
That really sounds upsetting. I can't wait to see it.
Stuff like that always gives me new perspectacles. The hollow feeling in the stomach ... the running over memories and the inability to resuscitate them ... and then the mysterious landing place once I come out on the other side. It's always someplace new and I can never predict what it will be like. The churning journey is is the paradox of ill feelings mixed with joy at the potential of the outcome.
That's some livin', there!
These days I think I just get carded for the tips. Hotties slinging drinks know how to work the entire spectrum of patronage. I'm at one end. Usually known as "the other end."
It really hit "home" with me that a place can never be home - it is susceptible to irrevocable change - "pouf" and it's gone. No security in that. And unfortunately, these days people cannot be your home either. They file for divorce, they commit suicide, they drown their lives in pills or alcohol, and like all of us, they die. So your anchor can't be in human beings. Even in the best of families there are things that just don't go right. I don't know how many people I have counselled who in a very real sense made their spouse or their children their gods --- talk about a tough role to play. Only God can be God. It's been a good thing to have put my eggs in that basket. I don't live with fear anymore. I'm anchored to something that is solid ... for the long haul.
It's been my mysterious landing place and it really is my home.
I hear you. The past is a sequence of memories, some held and others forgotten. My memories of the neighborhood and the friends and our family are mostly rosey ones because of who I am. Mom and Dad stay solid for me because they don't often drop by to change my images. (Though, there are times ... in dreams ...) The neighborhood is another animal altogether. I will be jarred through my own intent to disrupt those memorial pictures. Similar experience for a class reunion. I can't predict what will "unsettle." I do, however, enjoy that learning experience. Rarely does it rock my foundations, for, as you say, those are built of stronger stuff, but the ability to be surprised by the breakdown of my "preconceived" memories is a happy ability. Apparently, I have only so much capacity for conceptualization, and that is limited to what things looked like last time I saw them. Because I don't project well, I get surprised by the changes that have occurred in my absence. Imperfection is my constant delight.
I suppose I do have the tendency to edit my memories. I mean, like who wants a boatload of crappy ones? I like remembering Mom when she was healthy and full of fun, not at the end when she was not so healthy and she definitely wasn't having any fun. Same way with the house. In my mind it is always somewhere between 1960 and 1974 with a few retro trips to the 50's (I am always a bit amazed that I was ALIVE in the 50's....) It just makes me happy to remember it so. I live in the real world but I like to visit the trunk of the past the way I packed it, not the way that someone else has upended it in the present.
We're definitely on the same page there. I don't think seeing the hood will change my trunk pack (other than adding a small one I can't erase) but it will, in some way, move me forward. I can't tell how, yet. That I won't know until it has happened.
What's funny now is that many of my memories are of pictures of the past these days. The living memories take a lot more concentration. Pictures of us, and Dad and Mom stick with me. I suppose it's because I can go fish them out and refresh them at will.
On a current note, I've been hiking the Columbia Gorge for the last two weekends and boy, is my butt sore! Last weekend I did an 8 mile hike with 2400 feet of climb (and descent!). THAT took a couple of days from which to recover. This weekend I'm looking at a 12-miler with a little less climb and a LOT more rain. I must say, instant trimming and weight loss are an unexpectedly pleasing side-effect. But my inspiration is the peace, the nature and the reflection. And the waterfalls. Fret not, I go prepared and with a published "flight plan." And a cell phone, in case I come up lame when I'm up where there is signal.
It's a lovely new fetish.
I do wish you could be seeing the Gorge with me at this time of year. I wonder if this is where the term "gorge-ous" comes from? I do know that this is where it goes to.
Another color-fest tomorrow.
Going under deep opera cover for the next week. It's like the witness protection program. Nobody can figure out where you've gone, but an opera comes out the other side.
I've just come out of the deep family cover for the past week. Matthew came in, went out to South Carolina, came in again. Beth & Kiddoes came in last Sat. Chad, Hols & Kidlets joined the retinue yesterday and stayed the night. All child-bearing children left today. Matthew is out with friends tonight and he leaves tomorrow 6:30 ish via Dad-driven mini-van. There is an eerie quiet that has stolen over the house that is rumored to be Silence. However, we did enjoy a lot of leaf-kicking on our way down to the ice cream shop, cider drinking after the yard raking, and bouncing along the rutted paths to the pumpkin patch (where Papa engaged in quite a bit of pumpkin lobbing - only oohey, gooey, rotten ones of course - much to the delight of his screaming grandchildren). Value - priceless.
I want a Star Trek transporter room so I can just pop over for a couple of hours and inhale oak leaf fumes.
Today, BR and I actually get to go hike together! Off to Angels' Rest in the Gorge. And, if she's up to it ... on to Devil's Rest. Oddly, Devil's Rest is higher! But spookier and with no view, so I guess .... there are tradeoffs.
Crisp, clear and cold. Makes me roar with pleasure.
Same here today - crisp, clear and cold. Took a short walk with hubby this early a.m. It was so still (maybe because it was only 7:30 a.m.) and the leaves had a great smell. Fall is edging out now, lots of leaves down but they're still great for kicking! Picked up some pine cones along the way. I'm making a garland for Christmas with them. Varoom! Room!, goes Cindy's drill....Hope your venture up On High was all you'd hoped.
The Gorge is renowned for its wind and we got to feel some of it yesterday. The hike had more elevation gain than we'd suspected and proved a little much for BR's first time out. My boo-boo. But she trooped up about 1300 feet in 2 miles, battling cold winds that bent the forest noticeably all the way up. We made it to about 200 feet below Angels Rest, maybe a half mile of hiking short. That last half mile, though, would have been over some interesting shale-y rock and also, reports from others had it, crossing some narrow ridges with sideways gusts powerful enough to blow you right off. We christened our turnaround point as triumphant and boogied back down to the trailhead. Funny how good a sandwich can taste after a hard hike up a hill.
BR, too, is now a convert to the use of trekking poles. I've been instructed to find a pair I like and then look forward to Christmas.
I'm on the job!
Yesterday, I soloed that hike that BR and I attempted last week. The rain was coming down pretty good, the trail wet and squishy. A good day to test out my gear.
I learned that rain pants and water shedding gloves would be nice. I learned that ponchos are not great in high winds as they blow up around your head like a schoolgirl's worst nightmare.
But, all in all, it was a wonderful hike. Rain for the first two miles up and some wind and rain at Angels Rest. It's an incredible lookout point with craggy rocks and a wide variety of amazing spots to hang out and view the Gorge in both directions.
The trail continued across a craggy ridge with 300 ft. dropoffs to the east and up into the forest, wet and dripping. Foxglove Trail gave up beautiful views of patches of snow in the forest before becoming totally snow-clad the higher I climbed. Then it started snowing!
The final upward motion was very steep on a narrow trail with the snow coming down all around. My gloves were soaked and my fingers frozen. I started thinking about whether or not I was being foolish. I had to scrap those thoughts. It couldn't be much further.
It was further than I thought. But I eventually saw the familiar rocks, but with a new coat of white. Huddled under an outcropping, I was very pleased to have brought a small thermos of hot tea. I took 20 minutes for rest and lunch, put on some extra clothing and redonned my soaking gloves, which I had, at least, warmed up inside my jacket during the lunch break.
The 2 hr - 10 min trip up took a bruising 1 hr - 15 min to descend. Careening downhill for 3.3 miles through slush and mud is nearly impossible in that amount of time without the aid of trekking poles. I can't recommend them enough.
Oh, today, I hurt! Lots of water and some yoga will probably get me back on track. There's a price to pay, but it is definitely worth it. I used to love walking any of the trails from our house to out and around the lakes. I remember knowing just about every trail in Soldiers' Park. It seems inconceivable to me now, that I had gotten so far from that enjoyment since that time. Especially considering where I've lived for the past 30 years. I think I will keep up this exploring until the degenerative arthritis in my feet make it impossible. I don't know if that will happen, but just the name of it seems to make it inevitable, wouldn't you think?
All depends on whose plan for your life you line up with, bro.
I never knew that you hiked all over Soldier's Park! A couple of years ago Jack and I went and hiked some of the trails, but of late, we've had to be content with hiking out at the Dunes which is a different kind of nice (as opposed to the great Northwest). Sounds like your experience paralled Nat's in California. Weren't those pics amazing on the blog? That is so not Indiana ... I wonder if the trees the English saw when they first came here on the East Coast were anything like those on the West?
I'd have to say that it was likely. Their inland travels, though undoubtedly wondrous, had to be quite a bit rougher than our galivants into the "wilderness" for a couple of hours or days. Frankly, I'm relieved I don't have to make everything I wear when I go "into the wild."
As for Soldiers' Park ... I was a kid and we had more freedom in those days. All those trails were hiked, prowled, raced, biked to within an inch of our lives. Tree-climbin', sneakin' around, chucking rocks, falling into the lakes ... all those things were year-round activities in that area. In ice storms we would climb trees and rock back and forth until the tree snapped and we would ride the top part down. Not my ecological preference these days, but we were young and unaware. The trails are still there, I suspect. I wonder about the freedom.
Hey, how was Thanksgiving? We had the Fusons, Turkey Balons, Kimballs and LA Nathanael for various parts of the week and all of The Day. Crazy fun. You don't have to wait til 2010 to put your oar in. You guys could just show up with your java and one of BR's cookies in hand and pretend like you do it all the time. We'd even crank out the hide-a-bed for you. How about that deal?????
Sounds awesome!
We had a third annual orphan dinner at friends Karen and Dave's place. 18 people, mostly classical musicians and counterparts, with a few stagehands and friends. Incredible food contributions from all and great chit and chat. BR and I were destroyed from our intensive work weeks, so the big meal decimated us early. We tried to walk it off in the rain but just couldn't surmount the degree of fatigue and sleep deprivation. We had a great time but trundled home by 8pm. Conked by 9.
That's the second travelling invite in the last ten minutes! Marissa suggested a transatlantic surprise, as well.
Well, hey, none of us are getting any younger ... might as well hang out while the sun shines --- (I love mixing metaphors.) I think that the cumulative fatigue from Thanksgiving, post- T.G. and working with the Kindergartners today has finally caught up with me tonight. I might make it til 9 and then again I might'nt!
You may have managed to stay up an hour later than I!
Is it just me, or is this holiday season more demanding than others? Time seems to be flitting by and my lists just keep replenishing themselves! Yeah, it's a worky world, but, I mean, really!
Are you keeping up? And YOU have a Germany trip to prepare for. Oy!
Actually, having the Germany trip gave me a jumpstart on all the holiday stuff. Did some shopping while Zach & Laura were here too. But once they left I went into hyper-drive. Not working this week (my early gift to myself, heh-heh) so I am throwing things in suitcases, finishing gifts, going to have my hair whacked off a little bit this afternoon. Everything on line, yay! I may not have access to a computer while we're gone (or we might just be out having too, too much fun) so will get back to you after the holidays and we can compare notes on all our junkets, okay?
Sho 'nuff! Marissa's pretty good at working the com-line, though. I'm sure that if I get itchy for news, I can nudge her and get what's what from Germany.
The giant Singing Christmas Tree show went out a week or two ago and now we are knee-deep in Nutcracker. Shows tonight and tomorrow night and then two-a-days Saturday through next Wednesday. One show Christmas Eve afternoon and then shows Sat and Sun following Christmas.
A day off for the dentist and then back to the Opera. There is a week in late February, though .... if I survive. BR and I plan to disappear for a few days, probably someplace snowy and snowshoe-y. With a fireplace. And some knosh. And naps. And, and ...
The box for Germany shipped out yesterday. We hope it arrives in time. We'd hate for it to miss you guys. How long are you staying?
BR has had the flu since last Friday. Today (Tuesday) is the first day she has gotten dressed. Her best Christmas gift would be no relapse. She's not a big fan of the 16-18 hr. sleep-day.
She went down again hard yesterday and has bounced back some today. Still retain hope for some Christmas wellness!
Merry Christmas. The Christmas miracle has happened.
The lights are down, the tree is firewood and BR has only a nagging cough to remind her of the holiday trevails. We made it through another season with no fatalities. It's nice to be on the other side.
Boy, are there a lot more people at the gym these days. I guess it's like that every year. I wish them all the best of successes. I hope to bring myself into the best form of 55 year old me as is possible. Working out is the easy part. Adjusting ME!/Here!/Now! eating habits is more difficult.
Where is your next journey?
My next journey is to the sunporch for a nap in the sun like a big old fat sassy cat! Sunday afternoon naps rock the world. What's this about a box that went to Germany????? Did it go to the right address? M & M live on Landsbergerstrasse now, ya know. We stayed until the 2nd of Jan. Thought of you when we went to the opera (M&M's gift to us for Christmas). This production was staged in an amazing way - well, at least to little old me who has never been to an opera. They flooded the whole floor!!!! And one scene had a ballerina in point shoes DANCING in the water! Have you ever heard of doing anything like that before? Most of the actors were confined to the moveable piers but the main girl began one scene laying in the water. What I wondered about was why there was no waterline on her skirt and why it didn't cling to her legs when she got up? I need some techie answers here, Bro Pro. After the nap today, will move on to put away the Christmas Clutter that is covering the living room table...sigh, even when you don't do the whole house there is still a lot o stuff to put away.... glad to hear that Mrs. BR bounced back. Marissa was down for five or so days too, thankfully, AFTER Christmas. Talked to them yesterday and she's still got a naggie cough too. Eyelids slowing dropping.....
Obviously, the opera company used that tried and true old stage mechanism called, "magic!" I have no idea. First notion is that they managed to make it only look like she was in the water. Usually, when you can't believe your eyes, it's because your mind can't make a leap. After that, I would look to totally water repellent material. No soaky-uppy, no clingy.
The box shipment was to the shipping address confirmed by Marissa in early December. Did it not arrive????
Since we were sitting in the nosebleed section we had a "bird's eye view" of the stage and it truly was water that I saw being flung about, splashed on people and danced in. Hmmmm??????
I don't think the box arrived but you would have to check with M & M to be sure.
Beth was talking about snowshoeing also. The kids' school actually rents them out. That would be so fun to try out!
Oddly, neither the box we sent to Germany, nor the box sent from Germany to us, arrived at the destination. Deflated, I think, is the word.
Re-inflated is the new word!
Our box hit Germany yesterday and their box arrived here today! A meaningful, albeit tardy, exchange.
How wierd is that? Both boxes taking over a month to arrive and then they arrive on the same day! Just an opportunity to extend the season of goodwill and delicious cookies (I'm sure Jesus must feel the same way.....especially about the cookie part) By the way, do you have ANY free time next summer before, say, the end of August? We haven't totally nailed down any dates. Still checking to see if M & M are seriously considering making the jaunt across the water. Matthew's school doesn't end until the end of July. So would that make a difference to you if the gathering was pushed back into August? We would SO love to spend some time with you guys with the rest of the fam. Think on it a bit....
Marissa says they went ahead and ate the cookies anyway. No firm report yet on how stale they might have been.
August might be best. I have the first week of August sort of free and then I start back at the opera on day shifts for a couple of weeks, leaving evenings and weekends free. August 22nd I may be out of town for an annual birthday thing for a friend. Maybe something can work in there somehow? That would be great!
Forward your schedule on to Faith. She will be handling the details. Talk more later, falling asleep at the computer now.....zzzzzzzzzzz.
OK, I'm sorry I have to comment. I was just going to silently be seriously entertained and mist away before you even knew I was here, but the possiblity of a FULL family get together just has me salivating! Anyways- pencil plans are for the first week of August in beautifully sunny, mountainous Wyoming! A trip you simply musn't miss!! Hiking, riding, boating, shooting, cooking, campfire watching, sleeping, schmoozing.......Oh please come. Please do. We love you so much for so long over such distances that I would love to actually hug you and BR with my 30 year old arms instead of my 12 year old ones.
forrfaith@hotmail.com
But ... no pressure, right?
Let's see the deets and go from there.
Well, let's just say pressure that relents just before the world goes dark and one faints dead away....yeah, I'm not above applying pressure, guilt (those R.C. roots die hard)bribery....whatever it takes to get the Schreiners to WY this summer - we can't go on having family vacations without you!!!!!
Where are you, O brother of mine?
Fixin' to finally blow out of here for a little overdue vacation. Sunriver, Oregon calls to us for a combo BR birthday trip and anniversary bash. Four of us in a nice place with fireplace, hot tub and some killer outdoorsial surroundings. Leaving behind the cares of the day and going for hard chill. Snow should be falling there by now and the pass should be clear.
Still waiting to get summer schedule finalized. The waiting is the hardest part.
On a less lovely note, City Sewer people have warned us that there may be a giant, modernizing expense on the horizon. Upgrading from the turn of the PREVIOUS century.
Just when things get moderately comfortable ...
OK, the topic of sewers is soo thread-killing.
Tomorrow is BR's (mumble-mumble) -ieth birthday. We plan on joining whatever friends aren't emotionally invested in the Oscars at a bowling alley for brews and pizza and sore shoulders.
Today, perhaps, a hike in the Columbia Gorge. Google Earth will show you why we keep going back there. More waterfalls per mile than anywhere else in the country, maybe the world. Thanks to the Great Missoula Flood so very long ago. Look it up. Huge. Maybe the biggest thing to happen to the planet since the big metor.
There. Forget about the sewer. Now.
Don't think about it.
Stop it!
The topic of sewers is soo thread-killing.
Tomorrow is BR's (mumble-mumble)-ieth birthday, We'll celebrate with whatever friends aren't emotionally invested in the Oscars, at a bowling alley with brews, pizza and sore shoulders.
Today, perhaps, a hike in the Columbia Gorge. A trip to Google Earth will show you why we keep going back there. More waterfalls per mile than anywhere else in the country, maybe the world. All thanks to the Great Missoula Flood so very long ago. Look it up. Huge. Maybe the biggest thing to happen to the planet since the big meteor offed the dinosaurs. Faskinatin'!
So, there. Forget about the sewer. Now.
Don't think about it.
Stop it!
Ok, so it didn't look like it posted the first time. I have to say, Not bad for trying to word-forword it the second time around. Well, I knew there were some embellishments, but basically the Old-timers seems to be at a lull today.
You guys really are most fortunate to live in such a lovely place ... I think of the waterfalls every time I trim my Christmas tree because I bought an ornament to commenorate our trip to the (hm, not Montezuma, not Montpelier, WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FALLS SO CLOSE TO THE RIVER?) I love the rough and tumble topography of the Northwest. Faith lives near areas that are very similar. I could so easily live around the mountains....
Multnomah, and it is by far the most visited falls in the Gorge. I often note 10, or so, falls visible from the highway as I drive home from hikes. That number may drop when summer rolls around and water levels fall.
I do not remember you going out there. Maybe with Zach and Laura?
Duh, bro, your wedding!!!! Although you and the lovely wife had left on the honeymoon, we did take time to see the Gorge and the Falls. It was so incredible.
I can't feel bad about not remembering what you did on our honeymoon. Were you here for the earthquake we missed then?
In the midst of opera load-in week (read: braindead) I see the hundredth poat in the distance. (Sheesh, I can barely spell OR type!)
Okay, so maybe it isn't a record right up there with the first 100 heart transplants or the first 100 trips to the moon --- but it's gotta have SOME value in the world as we know it .... (I must admit to a teeney little flutter in my heart...)
I concur.
Oddly, I reread that last post and thought I'd fixed the mistakes. I look back now and realize I was far less competent than I even knew. I kid you not, 39 hours in three days will definitely put a hitch in your gitalong.
I have always liked the number one hundred. It seems to have so much character, to be so solid. It is very pretty around Benjamin Franklin's portrait in greys and greens.
And because of that fact (how great it makes Ben appear) people just seem to be ENAMORED of him! As a matter of fact someone just anonymously passed on Five of his portraits to little ole me! Right out of the clear blue!
Belated Happy Anniversary to you and your Bride! I hope the hitch in your getalong didn't extend to her, um, .... happiness.
You are SO discreet!
I was just returned one and one-fifth Bens from, of all things, a medical concern that apparently overcharged me two years ago. Shocking, to say the least. I am going to use it to by a Zoo membership for us. Found money is just so uniquely entertaining.
And I belive we've just achieved our own Benjamin! Congratulations to us!
Well, I've tried to post twice on the Balon Fam Blog and it does not appear to take my input.
Check with Levi. I do believe I had to get a gmail account in order to post because hotmail wouldn't work. Why? Dunno.
And, of course, now it works.
I've just been through one of the most stressful opera preps in years and may not be firing on all cylinders. It's kept me off yoga, out of the gym and off the trails for almost two weeks now.
"Things just ain't right!"
"I want to LIVE!"
Get that man a mat, a towel, a bicycle .... SOMETHING!!!! I sense he's about to do a Mt. Hood on us...
Hit the gym yesterday. Oy, what a struggle! Good to be back there though. Ima try to hit a trail sometime this week. Man, this last one has been a killer. And I'm already immersing myself in the next one.
Life ... waddya gonna do?
I don't know how long I can nurse the plantar fascitis excuse to keep me from exercise .... but I'm gonna have to start somewhere cause summer's coming!
This is my third time trying to post here. Blogspot likes to deny me posting ability from time to time. I've been responding to your post for a couple of weeks now.
Yes, yes, still waiting on the city to hand down their proclamation on our sewer. The SewerScope, alas, will not be among this year's Oscar hopefuls in the film world. Nary a rat with foodie leanings nor any bugs with to-die-for cuteness made appearance on our ride down the personal lava tube. A leak was noted, however, by the man watching the screen and doing the audio commentary for the video record. Imagine. Little Johnny wakes up one morning and says, "Mommy! Mommy! When I grow up I wanna be a SewerScoper!"
Any exercise yet?
Just checking in here. The Balon Family blog isn't taking my posts, so delicious creativity, accolades ... nothing is getting on. I'm taking a break from trying until the heartbreak of disappointment dies down.
I think it is my hijackee bloggers right to put all appropriate pressure upon U.R. and B.R. to scootaloo to the Wyoming palace in August. Has anyone passed along details to them... Fellow blog hijacker? I believe it may be your responsibility...
I have the deets somewhere. In a pinch, the rare phone call (at, probably, the worst possible moment) may rain down. I just got the name of the guy to whom I may appeal our sewer decision. If we just roll over and take their decision, it's BIG dollars. Seems the city wants us to pay for extending THEIR main line as well. I'm sure I could just go on and on and you would sit mesmerized by the faskinatin' details, but I shan't. You'll just have to sit, on the edge of your seat, and hope for triumph, like us.
At this point, it looks like BR will be heavily scheduled during that time. I may be able to break away for a few days if we don't get torpedoed by the city.
What's the nearest airport?
That would be Billings, MT for the cheap seats and Cody, WY for the big buck seats. However, Jack and I once got great prices for Cody, ya just gotta keep checking. The dates escape me at present but the Hijackee has them at her fingertips I am sure.
On the blog, it was stated that the dates are Aug 3 - 10. If I do make it, it will probably not be for that entire week, but I may be able to squeeze in a couple of days or so, if I play my cards right.
Wow, just checked plane fares. Cripes, I could fly round trip to Orlando twice for that fare! That was first blush, though. I have to say ... startling!
There is something about getting dirt under your fingernails from the garden that has a rejuvenating effect on me (that is, before I go inside and crash on the sunporch with a cold drink....) Could you post a pic of your deck? As I was tackling the monumental task of organizing pictures (just from the last century...really) I came across some that I'll pop in the mail for you. It was of your house and deck from the last time I was at your house - 5-6 years ago??? It never hurts to have pics of your house. One friend had a fire and thankfully her sister had requested pics of her entire house cause she really liked how she decorated- ANYWAY, turned out that those pics really helped them determine the value of their household items. .....Where is that Kodak???
You doing anything exciting for Memorial Day? I would love to go crash on some Lake Michigan beach and pretend I was a teenager again (the irresponsible, I don't have a job part of being a teen) Then I can come home, get down on my knees and cry out to my Maker for a summer job!!!! Yikes!!!!
I can probably e-mail you a deck shot or two. I've never figured out how to initiate a thread on this site.
Funny you should mention the deck .. I've been chomping at the bit to reseal it for the last two weeks, but have been foiled by the weather. It's scoured and clean, but won't stay that way for long. Maybe today???
Mem day we are driving to Astoria to treat my friend John Crowley to a birthday lunch. Down'n'back. His birthday was yesterday. John was one of the pals who held the chupa at our wedding. White jacket, I believe. From Jersey.
I'll look into the photo e-bin soon.
Still looking for possibility of a couple of days at Meeteetsee. I wonder if they have two trees 9-15 feet apart?
Oops! by this site, I meant the Balon fam site.
Bro, you won't need trees. The latest is that Faith found a lodge that sleeps 35 comfortably. And the good part is that Papa God moved on these folks hearts so that we can afford it (Jack is picking up the tab for the facility) The place is rather luxe. Mountain views, home theatre, fireplace, etc, etc. I can't believe these folks knocked off more than 50% of what they usually charge. But then again the last time we got together our three-floor cabin was totally awesome and was amazingly the exact amount Jack had in mind. I luv God's economics!!!!
I hate to sound stupid but I don't know what I was thinking when I asked about deck pics - maybe I was remembering it as being this lush green jungle and was wondering what you had growing this year - so sorry - hope they were just laying around your computer....yee gad.
We took off Monday morning to gad about before the storms hit in the afternoon. We walked down memory lane. We did the whole enchilada: Fifth St. (I know I said I was never going back but the draw is too powerful), Saugany Lake and Hudson Lake. So, here's the update. Hansie's house is up for sale and her rock wall (where we used to sit in front) is crumbling faster than Oreos in milk. The whole street is rather dark now which is wierd because as I was looking at old pics, it was SO light in the neighborhood when we were hanging there. Best house on the street - Korell's, a pearl in a pig pen. Moving along to Saugany, took me awhile to find it this time. They've built two houses on the left of the lane going back to the house. One is beautiful and the other looks like a garage wanting to be a house. Whoa! All trees are ginormous and again the clearing is rather dark. They've added onto the front and off what was the dining room, but realized that Dad's design was definitely more attractive. No garden or sweep of lawn left, but it's in better shape than Fifth St. Realized how important it is to visualize how BIG trees get in maturity. Ah, let's go on to Hudson Lake. Was totally confused trying to find the property (house was torn down years ago, probably a good thing). Then decided to look for the "Bluebird" and work my way back. Of course the old building is now a private home, but the folks were very happy to share memories. The road still runs directly in front of it, the cottonwoods arch out over the water as they always did. You can seen the beach across the lake where we used to ski with the Joslins. It is still something of a wilderness - no homes have been built over there. Yea! But we had to give up our search for the old Schreiner property as the storm was building fast and we wanted to go find a place to have lunch. It was a fun day and I didn't sink into a maudlin mood from seeing all the deterioration. Strange how Mom and Dad were such fanatics about how their homes were kept and now they are both.....tacky. It's a good thing that it's people that make a home and not just the four walls.
Time to put a cork in it...I've gone on and on. Do try to come for even a few days this summer. We are DYING to see you!!!!!! (not literally for me at the moment, but the clock's ticking oh brother of mine). ;)
P.S. It was Levi who set up the blog and he's the go-to-guy for all probs with it.
Just know that I responded in length and it vanished. again.
Do we know about peoples' timetables for August? I'd want to place my days so as not to miss anyone who might also have a partial visit time.
The Lodge is rented Aug. 9 - 14. The only one who might have a different agenda is Nat, but I'm pretty sure he's doing the whole week. (We take togetherness pretty seriously, ya know....)(Okay, so it's a 6-day week. We're getting a super deal.) I'm still trying to find the pics. I think Faith emailed them to her dad. I just saw them briefly and was impressed. It's a bitter loss for me and the world at large ---- your vanished response. Suck it up bro and ....... REWRITE!
I'm going to have to suck THIS up. The last posted dates for this reunion were August 3rd through 10th. The opera season begins on August 9th. Glad I didn't buy the plane ticket already.
Maybe next time.
Aw, rats, Rick....bummer. We were looking at the first set of dates before we set Faith onto the task of finding lodging. The only dates this great place had open were the second set. We will miss you like you won't believe. :(
Irony is a cruel mistress.
I was fully prepared, nay, looking forward, to spending a couple of nights in the jungle hammock, only to be undone by a luxurious lodge.
Picturing small children I barely knew trying to figure out how to knock on a hammock, to see if the strange man in the yard was awake yet. Then scaring them as I unzipped the side to reveal the horrors of "hammock-hair." "Goo Bordlin'," I would croak. "Agu flid bajadii?" (I have no idea. It's a future that didn't happen.)
No matter what the second sentence might have meant, the screaming-child result would have been the same. A nearby goat would belch and his breath would smell of chunkle sock.
Wow, Nat's work looks awesome! I could grill him for hours.
Just returned the heart monitor to Providence Hospital. Finally I can take a shower!
Thursday night I had some blippety-blip that wouldn't come back into line, heart-wise. I didn't have enough oomph to finish my last cue on "Lion King." Got up Friday morning and still hadn't gotten back to regular lub-dub rhythm, so BR drove me to the emergency room ... y'know ... just in case.
So my occasional dance with tachycardia has developed into atrial fibrillation. Pretty common stuff, as I understand. Basically, the two upper heart chambers start carrying on like fluttering drag queens in front of a camera, while the two larger, lower chambers continue on hammering out the rhythm to which one has become so accustomed.
Tomorrow I see my PCP and there is a probable vein of drug therapy continuing on until everything settles down. As it is, I suffer no more than the occasional shortness of breath and early fatigue. Today, I'll try a few activities that will give me a better scope of current limitations.
What's new with you?
Well! Laughed so hard at a party Monday night that I kicked the ticker back into the lifelong groove! Cardiologist (Dr. Yao [pronounced Yeeeoooowww]) confirmed the return to normalcy and scheduled a battery of tests for next Tuesday. Ebbyting otay, as far as I can tell. Feel fine and am going to try to return to Lion King tomorrow.
What a rollercoaster.
Dang, I miss this site for a couple of days and all H-e-double...well, you know, breaks out!!!! But so glad to hear that you "took a lick but kept on ticking"! So the tests are after the 4th, right? And when did the tachycardia begin? You have left your sister out of the loop concerning your health, dear boy.... naughty, naughty. Is there any way to let the "little kids" do the heavy stuff at Lion King until the Old Master gets himself totally back in line? Do use your head for more than decoration, okay? Just be .....wise or I shall have to take the next plane out and THROTTLE YOU!
-your loving sister
Tachycardia stuff has been random for a few years now, and was reported each time during my yearly (yes, yearly) physicals for the last five years. Doc said fine if they are seldom and go away on their own, but see somebody if they don't go away. Which is exactly what I did.
My replacement on Lion King has been a huge disappointment, requiring help to do almost the entire job. I did yoga and hit the gym yesterday to test out my abilities and did just fine, although I need to reinstate yoga to a more daily-type basis.
I'm set up for further doctorial inspection. I'm on an anti-coagulant to guard against clotting and a slow-down pill to keep the heart rate from amping out. My efforts on the show don't last for more than 5-8 seconds, so I shouldn't have any trouble recouping energy during the 5-10 minute downtimes.
I have stress tests and an ultrasound on the 6th and a regular, old-fashioned physical on the 8th. Lion King loads out from the 11th to the 14th. Rafting trip from the 16th to the 18th. Birthday trip to the Oregon Caves 19th -21st. And don't return to work until August 9th.
Seems like a good schedule, no?
Oh yeah, Grandma Pud and Grandpa Hank ... heart troubles, yes? I'm missing some of the family medical history. Anything you have would be helpful.
In case you didn't notice, I am trying to ease your concern in the entry above.
Worked a rehearsal yesterday afternoon and a show last night. All is well.
Did you get any message that we tried to skype you the other day?
Yes, unfortunately we were in the middle of a Skype conversation and the notice from BR blipped off the screen before I had a chance to read it through. Do I have to do something to get you guys on our Skype contact list?
How did the stress and ultrasound go today?
Grandma Pud knew she had a clot floating around. don't know if they had anti=coagulants back then. She was like a time bomb just waiting to go off. Grandpa Hank had a heart attack, I believe. I can check their death certificates for the exact cause if you think it would be helpful.
Tomorrow at about midnight, Zach's Laura is due to be induced if the baby doesn't come before. Pray he does, inducing is no fun....trust me.
Love ya to pieces.
Look for BR under kitchen3761
or Bethrobin Schreiner
In a stress test, they cover resting rates, stressed rates and the ratio between. They also take many photos from many angles of the heart. The greater the numbers in the rates, the larger the problems. I listed out at zero on everything, so I couldn't have gotten a better score. The photos all looked very good, as well.
The echocardiogram measures volume of blood moved and shows more and different kinds of pictures. Everything looked good and I am moving plenty of blood with each contraction.
So, in other words (and accents) my heart is "Shtrong ... like bool!"
I suspected as much.
The meds will continue until the cardiologist says stop. She will be analyzing the stress and echo tests and probably filling me in on the 27th about what will be up in the future.
I don't remember knowing anything about Pud being in danger in advance of her death. I do remember being extremely shocked and devastated. Now I wonder how trustworthy the memory is.
It couldn't hurt to know the info on the grandparents. Does it mean some serious unearthing of boxes long-buried?
I've been released from one of the drugs by the cardiologist, and am basically back on normal behavior for all intents and purposes. Fortunately, that means all the scheduled activities remain on the schedule. I am looking forward to wrapping up Lion King and moving on to serious R'n'R.
The sewer thing still looms, (wow, it looks extremely expensive at this point!) but it is also something that does not require dumping recreational time for the process. I need my good times and will pursue this sewage thing anon. AFTER I GETS ME SOME LIVING IN.
So good to hear your ticker is not in need of any repairs! You're right about no one knowing anything about Gr. Pud in advance. She made her doctor promise not to tell us anything. We only found out after she died. I don't have to unearth any boxes because I'm looking at them sitting here in my office....the Hundred Year's of Pictures Project, remember? I'll see if I can dig up anything.
Ran into one of your old classmates this weekend. I was rendezvousing (that just doesn't look right....) with one of MY old classmates and we met at B & J's American Cafe in downtown LP....a piece of Americana at its best and ANYWAY, as I talked to the guy manning the register, he mentioned in conversation having been born in 54 and when I asked if he was from LP he said yes and I asked if he knew my brother, Rick Schreiner. He said, "Sure!" As he didn't come forth with any potentially embarassing remembrances of you, of course I questioned how well he knew you....tee hee. Anyway, his name was John Pappas. He and his wife own this cafe and it's the cafe where the pictures were discovered that formed the basis for the film "LaPorte: A Documentary" that is premiering in LP next week. I picked up a couple of tickets so Jack and I will be attending the theatre over on our old stomping grounds, Colfax Ave.
Did I mention that I got together with some old LPHS friends last week at Daryle Oran's cottage out north of LP? Daryle's mom, Juanita Reeg and Mom were friends.
So, eight of us got together and chatted and ate for the better part of an evening. It was good, for the most part we've all learned a thing or two. We didn't have near enough time to bring everyone up to date on our lives but we really enjoyed one another's company. We had a friendly class and it's still true today. What about you? Do you ever hear from people back in LP?
Well, I've really run on and on. We've got a family shindig to go to so I should run a brush through my hair, right? Talk later, ok?
Went and saw the La Porte movie last night. Burrhead (Gary) Lenard, Barry Happel (who I think lived on the corner of Colfax & 5th), Carol Wakeman Benson, Jeff Funk (I think it was Funk) were featured. Most of the people seemed to be from about my age to your age. The guy who did the filming did a great job, but in telling the stories of the kids in the pictures, they had a number that left you feeling a bit sad. Life throws some people a lot of hits, so it was a little hard, but
overall it was good. It was a unique view of La Porteans from the late 50's on. It really was a nice place to grow up in. I think I saw about 12 or 14 people I went to school with at the show....oh dude, the guys all had WHITE hair...the women were carrying their years a bit better I have to say. Can you hear that sound?....the sound of time marching on.
I looked up John Pappas in the El Pe and vaguely remember him. He probably meant that he knew of me. I think we had a couple of classes together. Of course, some folks' memories are probably better than mine.
I'll have to keep an eye out for that movie on line. I would imagine that it will eventually be there.
I don't have contact with anyone from back in the day. Jim Sampson would be the most likely candidate and I think he lives in Michigan now. Other than that, the only people I have sought out in the past have been old girlfriends. I don't think I've talked to anyone from there in over 15 years.
I may go back in 2012 for the 40th reunion, if the planet still exists.
If you had a fun class it will probably be a fun reunion. If not, don't expect an extreme make-over for the reunion. I'm surprised that my class waited 5 years to have our first reunion. We had a 10, maybe a 15 and then waited til 25. Haven't gone to one since then.....from what my friends tell me they are a lot of work. But, heh, the Big 50 is lurking around the corner, so we may have to put our walkers in high gear and begin planning...
I was kind of expecting a 40th but it's now surprisingly disappointing to think there may not be one. I may have to de-hermitize and actually reach out. It's weird, though, because I, developmentally challenged as I was, spent more time with people in the two classes below us in school. There are only a few I would try to contact from my class. Thanks to the old El Pe's for a selecting pool from which to choose.
Crap, I still hang out with people 10 to 20 years younger than me, as well as a few my own age.
My best friends have always tended to be 7 years younger than me. Really, three of them so far.
I hope you had a wonderful birthday on or around the day. That would be the magic #56 - correct? Best Wishes and Lots O' Love!!!! I don't know what happened to me this month. Head in a bucket I suppose, but I also missed Chad's BD on the 25th.....Crikey!!!!
From Monday to Thursday, BR and I were on a whirlwind, 850 mile tour of Oregon. Wildlife Safari, It's a Burl, Oregon Caves National Monument, The Oregon Vortex, Crater Lake and a hike around Smith Rock were our stopping points. Nights at Morrison's Lodge on the Rogue River and at The Chateau at Oregon Caves were notable points of rest and feedbagging.
It was a fun road trip ... something we always enjoy. Something about the highway and the rolling wheels ... perhaps harkening back to our first big date where we crossed the country together.
I followed it immediately, on Friday, with a trip to Astoria for the Bugas family reunion. What's another 200 miles, after all?
Bugas, Bugas, very familiar name...friend? family? I know BR's last name was Schneider so I'm thinking it must be friend, right? Fill me in.
I met both Mark and Patty Bugas in Barcelona in '73. We (Sally and I) stayed at Mark's the first night in Astoria.
The Bugas family "adopted" me after a year or so in Astoria and I've been connected to them one way or another ever since. Might have ended up with one of the Bugas girls if the cards had fallen differently ... or I had ever matured.
There were 83 Bugases at the reunion. The core family was parents + 10 kids. One of them lives about 6 blocks from us now.
You must be trundling west by now, toward the mass gathering in Meeteetsee. Hug everyone in sight for me. I'll be back in the art mines.
Oh yeah, Mark was best man at our wedding.
Right, now I remember Mark. I think it was the reunion factor that threw me off.
Vacation was just a whole boatload of fun - after Mr. Nasty was taken into custody, after all the women spent 3 hours grocery shopping at the World's Slowest Checkout Line at Wal-Mart and after Levi finished his babysitting duty so the aforementioned ladies could go do the grocery shopping. Then the real fun began. Lots of talking, playing with the kiddoes, eating scrumptious food, added to some fishing and swimming and gorge-viewing, horseback riding, rodeo watching. We was plumb tuckered out by the end of the week! Have to admit, the place was more than we anticipated, even lost a couple of the kids IN the house. We missed ya, but carried on as best we could! Now I'm back in school mode, getting ready for the year to start tomorrow. I can't believe that I'm subbing on the 3rd day of school! Heaven help me because the first few days are all about setting down the rules and the way things are to be done. Yeeks!
Looks like Nathanael may be traveling over to see Matthew and Zach this fall. I wouldn't mind being a stowaway.....
Didn't you say that BR is on fb now? I'm going to go try and find her. What about you, big bro?
It took me a couple of seconds to translate "fb," so ... not so much. I just recently stuck my toe in the pool of Classmates.com. Wrote to Glen Tracy. I'm not finding the facebook thing currently attractive. Have tons of friends who are on it, but I'm not drawn. Perhaps one day ...
BR is there. I don't know how things work, but I would guess you just look for Bethrobin Schreiner. Or BettyRose, her alter ego.
When did I become "big bro"? For crap's sake, I'm only at 183!!! ( :-D )
Fam time sounds like it was fun. While y'all hubbubbed, I dipped my toes back into opera world, so my "school year" has begun.
The basement is prepped for the vaunted sewer project. Two more bids and we'll make a choice. Got the city to ease up a touch, so it may come in under 10K, which is the max amount for the low interest loans.
Having cleaned out the basement, I am inspired to release us from the bonds of some of our other unnecessary possessions. Purge and cleanse spirit is upon me. It involves a reorienting of the mindset, a reevaluation of value and importance. I learn as I go.
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