That’s right, the wood that Dick and I found on Wednesday was gone when Sandi, Dick, Andrew, and I went back up there today. Can you imagine the gall of whoever did it? When we left on Wednesday there were at least three pickup loads of wood in the form of a log 40’ long and about 30” in diameter. Today the only thing that was left was about 5 gallons of sawdust. Of course, it was probably taken by the same guys that fell the tree. We did end up with two pickup loads of wood, but we had to work harder than what I had anticipated. I’m all for exercise, but this was more work than I had planned for.
Be it known though, I did come home clean without an aroma of sweat reeking from my pores, unlike some of us. On the way home I found a nice clean creek to cleanse myself. It was refreshing, cool even, even to the point of being cold, but I was clean. I took a dip in Patricks Creek. I did have a sense of modesty though, I kept my skivvies on. It was a good day. I did point out a number of potential places for Dick to get in the water, but none really fit his sense of being just right.
Jim
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Like a Vapor
James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.Thursday, February 26, 2009
PHC Day a.k.a. "Gizzard Day"
Everyone around me is getting sick, so I thought I’d better take matters in my own hands and do something about it. I took the day off. There's no telling when my gizzard may flare up.
No use in tempting fate and having some kid sneeze in class and me catch something I want to avoid. Why wait until you’re sick to take a day off? I don’t want to get TTD or DGAD! After all, what a waste of a sick day. I hate to use my sick days being sick. I do really stupid things like get sick on the weekends. Anyway, Dick has been here for a few days and we’re going fishing today.
After all, I’ve not taken any time off since Gonzo was born and took ½ day off to watch him so Claudia could catch some extra sleep.
Well, we didn’t catch any fish, but we found some wood. It was a good day.
Jim
PHC(Proactive Health Care)
so i told Gonzo
That I was his greatest of all uncles and aunts, and he agreed. He said that i was his favorite because i came and saw him first.
you dont really appreciate how cute he is until you actually see him and get to hold him. Oh and did i mention that that kid has a set of lungs. WOW!!
Snow Hobbit
2/26/09 This is the latest snow on our record. Was only about an inch when all done. The pic is just to show that I can build a snowman too! Peter
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
We Have Ducks!
I took this shot of ducks from my deck. You can only see three, but there were actually four. One huge, with some smaller ones following. They sure are pretty. A sign for us of Spring because some come every year about this time. They fly up the creek and float down. Then they rest in a calm spot right in front of our house. We like ducks.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thank you so much but am I dying or something ? LOL !!!
I want to really thank everyone in my family for supporting me in this quest for opinions and information on diclosures. My son will really appreciate that he is coming home to such a loving and supportive family. And you have to know how much it has touched my heart that you all cared enough to share your thoughts with me in this way.
My cup runneth over ..
I have to tell you, yesterday one of my clients actually asked me how I was doing. A rare thing in my work. I didn't even know what to say; no one cares how I am doing or feeling.
And then one of my daughters and my daughter-in-law just called just to see how I was and to talk ... for no reason or to ask for anything.
My husband has been kind and patient with me even though I haven't been home for weeks. ( Course I always got along with men better when we lived apart ) lol !
And today, I got a great letter from an x who took my love and trust ... the only man that could or will again ... then broke my heart, leaving me pretty cold and unloving; asking me for forgiveness. His first contact in 5 years.
Am I dying ? Maybe I am; heaven knows I'm not going to any doctor to find out. LOL !!!
Actually I feel fine, just tired from so much work and emotional stuff in my life. But for me there is only two options, do what I need to do daily to get through another day or drop dead trying !!
Thanks again;
By the way, I would welcome anyone of the family to come to my home and learn the ropes of this business. It really is a great business to be in. If you stay healthy enough to care for others; it's a great stay-at-home job. And where ever you live near family, a family operation is great. Lots of providers do it as a husband / wife team. I do not advise anyone to rely on just a 2 person team. You have to get away; unless you're me ofcourse. And if you get up at night, you can't really go all day long too. The mental / emotional needs and wear are harder then the phyical ones.
I have this down to an art. I'd be happy to help anyone who would like to get into this work. There is a need for care of those others won't or can't care for, yet who don't belong or want to go to facility care.
My cup runneth over ..
I have to tell you, yesterday one of my clients actually asked me how I was doing. A rare thing in my work. I didn't even know what to say; no one cares how I am doing or feeling.
And then one of my daughters and my daughter-in-law just called just to see how I was and to talk ... for no reason or to ask for anything.
My husband has been kind and patient with me even though I haven't been home for weeks. ( Course I always got along with men better when we lived apart ) lol !
And today, I got a great letter from an x who took my love and trust ... the only man that could or will again ... then broke my heart, leaving me pretty cold and unloving; asking me for forgiveness. His first contact in 5 years.
Am I dying ? Maybe I am; heaven knows I'm not going to any doctor to find out. LOL !!!
Actually I feel fine, just tired from so much work and emotional stuff in my life. But for me there is only two options, do what I need to do daily to get through another day or drop dead trying !!
Thanks again;
By the way, I would welcome anyone of the family to come to my home and learn the ropes of this business. It really is a great business to be in. If you stay healthy enough to care for others; it's a great stay-at-home job. And where ever you live near family, a family operation is great. Lots of providers do it as a husband / wife team. I do not advise anyone to rely on just a 2 person team. You have to get away; unless you're me ofcourse. And if you get up at night, you can't really go all day long too. The mental / emotional needs and wear are harder then the phyical ones.
I have this down to an art. I'd be happy to help anyone who would like to get into this work. There is a need for care of those others won't or can't care for, yet who don't belong or want to go to facility care.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Life & Times @ my house
Life is pretty good right now. Doesn't mean everything is good about my life; but when you work all the time, you are able to pay your bills and the kids and gr. kids are doing ok; life is good, for me!
I'm really excited about my son joining our lives. There's something I wanted to explore with anyone who cares to voice an opinion.
My son has been going through a year of intensive therapy; learning to rethink processes that took him down the path he took and to retrain his way of thinking. Peter,
you are very aware of what he has gone through, he communicates with you on these matters. But I have an issue with some of the things he is learning and where they want him to take what he has learned. I could use some help here and advice on how to help him. Or how others feel about what they are teaching him.
He is learning about how to take responsibility for what he has done in his past. Not justifying his actions or making excuses for what he did. I feel this is all good. To change criminal thinking or even addictive thinking ... you must be able to not put blame or give reasons as to why this or that happened. He is learning how to understand his triggers and how important it is to change lifestyle rather then just believe things won't happen again.
My problem is; Things he did as a teenager, were things many young people do. He made some very poor choices and some of them ended in the tragedy of his life. My son got caught up when he left home in drugs, gangs and even the occult; which led to the life he led which led to the crimes he committed. His life was saved. God saved him for a reason, when so many other mother's sons have lost their lives to the streets. Some day I'll write a book. It's been quite the journey that we owe all the credit to God and the prayers of so many.
But through this therapy he is getting; they are going thru disclosure. I am all for being honest for those things we must disclose. But do we really need to disclose all the facts of our lives to others / everyone .. to be able to move forward honestly? My feeling is; you don't.
I would be interested in the opinions of others on this matter. He feels the need to come clean with everyone. I am not so sure everyone even wants to know the details of another life. I will advise my son according to how I feel about this as I gather more knowledge on the subject of full disclosure.
I feel life changes and evolves and we are not the same people we were in our younger years; or hopefully not so. so why would it be important for others know all your sins? My son has done his time, he has paid dearly for his crimes and he is not the same young man he was. He already will have the stigma of being a felon. Is it necessary for him to wear a Scarlett letter for all to know his crimes?
Help me here; my family! I want my son to have the best chance to live a normal life as possible. He is a good loving christian man that deserves that chance. It seems the prison system would like to make him feel he is dirty for the rest of his life by making the crimes he committed make him a ' bad person '. He is not that person, so why should he put those things out there for others to judge him. No one but God has that right, in my opinion. He has lived all his adult life being labeled.
This is where my head will be for a while. I'm not so sure I can see clearly being his mother. I also have been working 24 hour a day for over 6 weeks again due to no resident manager here right now. So I'm a little worn out anyway.
I did take a 3 day trip to Phoenix. I had a great time but it was no vacation. I took 3 granddaughters with me. So my days were non stop entertainment for 5 grandchildren. Coming home to 24 hour shifts was a vacation comparatively. Outside of that break I am here 24/7 for 50 days now.
The economy is bad but few answers to my ads for work. Course this is more then just work. No 9-5 here.
I'm really excited about my son joining our lives. There's something I wanted to explore with anyone who cares to voice an opinion.
My son has been going through a year of intensive therapy; learning to rethink processes that took him down the path he took and to retrain his way of thinking. Peter,
you are very aware of what he has gone through, he communicates with you on these matters. But I have an issue with some of the things he is learning and where they want him to take what he has learned. I could use some help here and advice on how to help him. Or how others feel about what they are teaching him.
He is learning about how to take responsibility for what he has done in his past. Not justifying his actions or making excuses for what he did. I feel this is all good. To change criminal thinking or even addictive thinking ... you must be able to not put blame or give reasons as to why this or that happened. He is learning how to understand his triggers and how important it is to change lifestyle rather then just believe things won't happen again.
My problem is; Things he did as a teenager, were things many young people do. He made some very poor choices and some of them ended in the tragedy of his life. My son got caught up when he left home in drugs, gangs and even the occult; which led to the life he led which led to the crimes he committed. His life was saved. God saved him for a reason, when so many other mother's sons have lost their lives to the streets. Some day I'll write a book. It's been quite the journey that we owe all the credit to God and the prayers of so many.
But through this therapy he is getting; they are going thru disclosure. I am all for being honest for those things we must disclose. But do we really need to disclose all the facts of our lives to others / everyone .. to be able to move forward honestly? My feeling is; you don't.
I would be interested in the opinions of others on this matter. He feels the need to come clean with everyone. I am not so sure everyone even wants to know the details of another life. I will advise my son according to how I feel about this as I gather more knowledge on the subject of full disclosure.
I feel life changes and evolves and we are not the same people we were in our younger years; or hopefully not so. so why would it be important for others know all your sins? My son has done his time, he has paid dearly for his crimes and he is not the same young man he was. He already will have the stigma of being a felon. Is it necessary for him to wear a Scarlett letter for all to know his crimes?
Help me here; my family! I want my son to have the best chance to live a normal life as possible. He is a good loving christian man that deserves that chance. It seems the prison system would like to make him feel he is dirty for the rest of his life by making the crimes he committed make him a ' bad person '. He is not that person, so why should he put those things out there for others to judge him. No one but God has that right, in my opinion. He has lived all his adult life being labeled.
This is where my head will be for a while. I'm not so sure I can see clearly being his mother. I also have been working 24 hour a day for over 6 weeks again due to no resident manager here right now. So I'm a little worn out anyway.
I did take a 3 day trip to Phoenix. I had a great time but it was no vacation. I took 3 granddaughters with me. So my days were non stop entertainment for 5 grandchildren. Coming home to 24 hour shifts was a vacation comparatively. Outside of that break I am here 24/7 for 50 days now.
The economy is bad but few answers to my ads for work. Course this is more then just work. No 9-5 here.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Portraits: Merlin, Athena, Gonzo
Gonzo is next on my art list, but here's one that I've been meaning to do for a long time.
click this link to see Merlin and Athena
click this link to see Gonzo
Thought I'd do it similar to the one of BJ and I that mom had from Disney World. So, here you are mom, your grand kids. I've got to get a frame for the original. Maybe later I can order one of the mugs for you.
Also, I found the last picture of Gonzo easier to draw (more lines, less subtle shading), so that's what I did. I changed the blanket color to spotlight him more. I've got matte, and glossy prints available with his picture, and mugs too, just in case anyone wants to order one them.
~Teresa
click this link to see Merlin and Athena
click this link to see Gonzo
Thought I'd do it similar to the one of BJ and I that mom had from Disney World. So, here you are mom, your grand kids. I've got to get a frame for the original. Maybe later I can order one of the mugs for you.
Also, I found the last picture of Gonzo easier to draw (more lines, less subtle shading), so that's what I did. I changed the blanket color to spotlight him more. I've got matte, and glossy prints available with his picture, and mugs too, just in case anyone wants to order one them.
~Teresa
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Did you know - if you traveled.........
If we traveled outside our solar system, 5 year 4 months 19 days at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), we get to the nearest star outside our sun, Alpha Centauri. Just one of billions of stars that form our Milky Way galaxy. If we continue traveling at this speed, after 1000 years we'll be able to look back and see the entire swirl of the Milky Way. As we look out into space, every light now is another galaxy, each containing about 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. As we traveled, we'd pass lone galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. And looking back into space, it would resemble a night sky out in the country. But the difference would be, instead of a sky full of individual stars, they would be galaxies. If we could live this long, we could travel at the speed of light for 10 billion years and never come to the end of the available galaxies to view. And it appears to be the same if we continue even further.
Isa 40:12 (God who has) Measured heaven with a span..."Job 11:7 "Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
It takes the same, or more faith to believe that this universe came from nothing, as it does to believe that God created it. Check out this video that demonstrates the vastness of the universe; click on title above.
Isa 40:12 (God who has) Measured heaven with a span..."Job 11:7 "Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
It takes the same, or more faith to believe that this universe came from nothing, as it does to believe that God created it. Check out this video that demonstrates the vastness of the universe; click on title above.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
More snow over in Weed
No snow people, do snow angels count? Yep, it dumped more on us last night.~Teresa
Saturday, February 14, 2009
DO NOT click on this title unless you have about 5 minutes you want to fritter away.
I've been feeling a little green today, and feeling green reminds me of other green times.
Jim
FYi: P.S. I'm prepared, but not ready to get sick again. I fixed the sink.
Jim
FYi: P.S. I'm prepared, but not ready to get sick again. I fixed the sink.
Latest news on Chardo !
Just wanted to share my good news with everyone. My son is on his way home ! I just got a letter from him yesterday. He has been worried about getting an interstate transfer. He just found out, when he gets out, he will be free of any supervision. So coming to Oregon, visiting in Cali, it's all good. He won't need permission, doesn't have to be supervised. He will walk out of that place and come home. What a great relief.
He is done with his programing. That is what he needs to go through prior to release. They actually have a great program in Washington. There is an intense period of time they have to go through full disclosure, phycological testing, groups workshops, individual working through ' stuff '. It's important for them to acknowledge their crimes, work through the reasons they got there and get them selves ready to face life outside of the structure they have lived in. It's important to understand criminal mentality and not to use excuses for wrong behaviours. It takes a lot of energy andf guts to face yourself. I'm not so sure anyone would do well really facing the truth of their lives. So it hasn't been any easy year for him at all.
But it's over and he's on the home stretch. And he is doing great. I am so excited and can't wait for him to join the family again. He has been a blessing to me for years and I know he will touch everyone's hearts and you will all feel the blessing of knowing him. He has gone through so much and come so far and now I know God will use him in a special way that He has prepared him for.
Pray for him / us that this last few months will go smooth and quickly.
He is done with his programing. That is what he needs to go through prior to release. They actually have a great program in Washington. There is an intense period of time they have to go through full disclosure, phycological testing, groups workshops, individual working through ' stuff '. It's important for them to acknowledge their crimes, work through the reasons they got there and get them selves ready to face life outside of the structure they have lived in. It's important to understand criminal mentality and not to use excuses for wrong behaviours. It takes a lot of energy andf guts to face yourself. I'm not so sure anyone would do well really facing the truth of their lives. So it hasn't been any easy year for him at all.
But it's over and he's on the home stretch. And he is doing great. I am so excited and can't wait for him to join the family again. He has been a blessing to me for years and I know he will touch everyone's hearts and you will all feel the blessing of knowing him. He has gone through so much and come so far and now I know God will use him in a special way that He has prepared him for.
Pray for him / us that this last few months will go smooth and quickly.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Buck has seen it's last day's
Just wanted you to know I am fine. Was going back to St. Helens to deal with some issues and was hit by a Dodge Truch 2006. Was just coming onto 1-5 going into Portland, the Bridge, glanced over to check the side traffic, as the Truck was in front of me, he hit the brakes and I was trying to hit mine, with heavy traffic in back of mine. Did 5000.00 of damage, totaled,,, or as Jess said I needed another car anyway!!!
John said, a friend of ours said, is she going to start driving old red.!!!!
With luck I was alone, but what a wakeup call for Jess, as I did not have the insurance on me, was with Jess, great help to me!!!
John said, a friend of ours said, is she going to start driving old red.!!!!
With luck I was alone, but what a wakeup call for Jess, as I did not have the insurance on me, was with Jess, great help to me!!!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Snow Day!
I was going to mow the lawn today! Well, maybe I wouldn't have gotten to it anyway. So Illa, do you have this much snow? It's only a couple of inches. Peter
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Year of the Ox Part II
Bucket list: check one. Sandi said that watching the Chinese New Years Parade in San Francisco is on the top 100 things to do in a person’s life. Hmmm………it just so happened that she was going down to watch it with a friend of ours. I’m not exactly sure whose list that she’s referring to, but I went with it. She had taken four 7th grade girls down there two years ago and had a great time. I wonder if now that she’s seen it twice she gets to mark off two of the “Top 100 Must See Things.” Anyway, she asked me on Thursday if I wanted to go with them. As a tax paying American I wanted to do what I could to support the economy without waiting for the president’s Economic Stimulus Package. I had a great weekend planned of going up in the hills and cutting some wood, maybe even painting the living room, but being the person I am, I decided to forego the work and play instead. At this point in the school year a person cannot get in too much playing, and I’m not talking about the kids at school. Besides, we were going to be splitting the cost between three of us. Win, win, win. P.S. The Bucket List is one thing you do not want to mark off as being complete any too soon.
The parade WAS very impressive! Our hotel was about a ½ block off the parade route and lucky for us we got there JUST before they closed the street off. FYI: Do you know that you can’t turn left or right once you get on Geary Street? Even if you drive right by, and yell, “Turn! There it is!” you can’t do it. No turns, period. Lucky for us, after a few figure-eights through the streets of San Francisco that started around San Rafael and came close to San Jose we narrowed down our spiral and ended up in front of our hotel. Before this point I was just a trifle nervous. You see, the last time I stayed in San Francisco it wasn’t by choice. I didn’t have a motel booked like Sandi did this time, but it was an experience that I didn’t want to relive again, or wish on anyone, even my worst enemy.
When we went to Mexico about six years ago, we all left at the same time, but we came back at different times. The guys had to baby our van back to Crescent City from San Francisco with a battery that had already expired, pulling up to stop signs only to be met by the sounds of silence when they tried to start out again. And, this was when they were just leaving the driveway of the motel where we had stored the van. The experience got worse from there, especially since they were still 362 miles short of Crescent City!
When I came back from Puerta Vallarta I thought I had it timed correctly; from getting off the plane at SFO to allowing enough time to get to the SF bus terminal for the remainder of my trip to Crescent City on the Greyhound. I was planning to sleep all the way back home on the bus, and I was hoping that everyone else on the bus was going to share my sentiments. Long story short, I missed the last bus north. The next bus north? 10:00 a.m. the next morning. This presented a slight problem. I hadn’t anticipated spending the night in San Francisco. San Francisco is known for a lot of different things, most of which I didn’t want to participate in, or even be around. Being in San Francisco may be a very special experience for many people, but considering the variety of people and the number of people, it wasn’t something I was looking forward too, especially at night with no plans of where to go. Being the frugal (I like to think of it as fiscally efficient) person I started looking around the bus station for a place to sleep the night. The choices were limited. All the good places around the bus station were taken, and the not-so-good places were taken too. I thought about staying at a youth hostel as we had stayed at hostels on our trip to Alaska a few years ago. Keep in mind, I am basically pretty fiscally efficient. I knew that I was pushing the envelope of the youth part of youth hostel, but I was willing to suck my gut in and give it a try. I started to look on the local advertising boards for a hostel that was close. Lucky for me there was one just down the street. You’ve got to understand, city streets are MUCH longer than regular streets, especially at night if you happen to find yourself walking and not sure where you're going. First, I called the hostel to see if they had any space left. Unlucky for me, they did. Second, I called a cab. No sooner than I got into the cab at the bus station the cabbie said something unintelligible that must have been muffled by his turban to the effect of, “We’re here.” I swear, if I had taken the time to look around I would probably have seen that I was probably right across the street from the bus station, but, I didn’t, I was still trying to get my seat belt buckled. After giving the guy a $20 bill, of which I was expecting about $19.50 back, considering how far we had traveled, he again mumbled something unintelligible and drove off…quickly.
There I was, in front of an unsigned dented door with what looked like deep claw marks on it, lit only by a single 40 watt light bulb dangling from two wires. Remember, by now it’s 1:00…in the morning…and I don’t really know what direction the bus station is, as I was so intent on getting my seat belt buckled I couldn’t identify which direction we had left from the bus station. And, I didn’t have any more $20 bills, only about 9,237 pesos, of which I wasn’t sure the value of. But, I did know that, chances are, a hostel in San Francisco, or a taxi driver that is wearing a turban isn’t really up on their exchange rates either. From the phone conversation with the hostel I knew that it would cost $16 for a place to sleep. They were somewhat evasive on exactly what kind of place to sleep it was though. After rapping on the door for about 5 minutes I noticed a dark figure looming out of the shadows slowly getting bigger and closer. I upped the rapping to knocking on the door. As the shadow wobbled into the light and came closer I started pounding on the door, just short of yelling. Suddenly, with my unprecedented visionary skills I noticed there was a doorbell with the light burned out. As a last resort I frantically mashed it multiple times until a sleepy voice crackled from a hole underneath the light, “need something?” “YEH, IN,” I croaked back. “Open the door and come in,” the voice calmly answered back. I turned the open door knob and walked in…just before the mangiest cat that I’d ever seen walked by.
This sleepy looking hippy guy took my $16 and pointed to a closed door and said, “There are four bunks in there, take one where there’s not someone in.” Yeh, like I’m going to shove someone out of a bunk bed at 1:30 in the morning! Of course I didn’t want to wake anyone up so I left the door open enough to use the hall light to illuminate an empty top bunk. Bingo! I threw my bag on the top bunk and without getting out of my clothes I jumped up. Too quickly. "Damn," I said to myself, "I forgot to shut the door." I jumped back off the bunk just as the guy on the bottom bunk rolled over, his arm brushing down my leg and grunted something I didn't even want to try to understand. I'm not saying it was planned on his part and he was just feeling friendly, I'm just that I wasn't really prepared for his hospitality and it didn't really make me feel very comfortable. I didn't acknowledge him and quickly shut the door and did the Superman standing vertical broad jump straight up to the top bunk covering 5 vertical feet and 3 horizontal feet in a single bound. Only then did I realize how dark it was. I tried really hard to calm myself, trying to still my heart and quell my nerves. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it may wake up my all too-neighborly neighbor, him thinking that I was somehow ecouraging him with my beating heart. I tried to stretch out and make myself comfortable until I sensed that there wasn't a mattress on the top bunk, just a piece of plywood. My mind kept racing back to the bus station, replaying the not-so-good places looking suddenly looking much better and wondering how long it would take me to find my way back. I jockeyed my bag to the head of the bed wondering to myself, exactly which would be the worse place of the two evils, to put my head where people have put their feet, or put my head where other people have put their head. I propped my head on my bag and swore quietly to myself that when and if I ever got home I would take the hottest shower I could stand with the best flea soap money could buy.
I wish I could tell you I it was quiet and fell asleep and rested peacefully the rest of the night. It wasn't, and I didn't. Just as my heart rate dropped to about 120 bpm the door opened and in walked (stumbled) a guy talking to himself, stinking to high heaven. I pretended to be asleep, all the while keeping not one eye slightly open, but both eyes wide open. I was snoring with both eyes open, not sleeping, just snoring. I watched the guy take 3 quart bottles of Colt .45 Malt Liquor out of the paper bag he carried in and place them neatly beside the lower bunk against the far wall. He leaned on one elbow, unscrewed the cap, and chugged the entire bottle before burping and laying down on the jacket that he had put down as a pillow. Within about 5 minutes of heavy breathing he jumped up and ran across the hall to the bathroom leaving the door open so everyone could hear him relieving himself. Before laying back down he chugged the second bottle. The third bottle he put under his jacket and put his head on it. Within about 2 seconds he was joining the other snorers in the room in an impromptu chorus of loud and out-of-tune snoring. Myself, I was pretty sure even if I could go to sleep I didn't dare let myself go to sleep. I lay awake listening to the snoring, flatulating, and grunting until about 3:00. When I was pretty sure everyone was in their own world I quickly jumped down, quietly opened the door (as if that really mattered), and walked out of the hostel. I waved a cab down and asked him which way to the bus station. He pointed to the where a Greyhound was turning in and said, "Right there." I walked to a coffee shop, bought a cup of coffee, a donut, and a newspaper and pretended like I do this kind of thing every morning.
We also got to see, John Lee Hooker, Jr., the son of, you guessed it, John Lee Hooker, Sr., a great Blues singer.
The highlight of the trip was being able to have breakfast with Glenda. She is closing in on her Bachelors degree this coming May. You’ll be glad to know that she takes her studying very seriously. She even takes her books to breakfast. No wasted time with our sister!
On the way back from San Francisco we were going through Orick and we noticed that they (?) were holding tryouts for the Dallas Cowgirls. I’m sure all the hopeful future Cowgirls will be bringing their best stimulus package with them. Don’t ask me why they’ve chosen to hold tryouts there, but they do get some pretty big names there. In the past we’ve seen such names as ZZ Top, The Beatles, and even the Rolling Stones on the marquee board, so it really wasn’t much of a surprise to see the ad for the Dallas Cowgirls’ tryouts. The only problem is, where everyone stays. The only motel in town, ‘Myrtle’s pay-by-the-hour Motel and Trailer Park’ is hard to find.
Anyway, it was a great quick trip and it’s good to be back home.
Jim
The parade WAS very impressive! Our hotel was about a ½ block off the parade route and lucky for us we got there JUST before they closed the street off. FYI: Do you know that you can’t turn left or right once you get on Geary Street? Even if you drive right by, and yell, “Turn! There it is!” you can’t do it. No turns, period. Lucky for us, after a few figure-eights through the streets of San Francisco that started around San Rafael and came close to San Jose we narrowed down our spiral and ended up in front of our hotel. Before this point I was just a trifle nervous. You see, the last time I stayed in San Francisco it wasn’t by choice. I didn’t have a motel booked like Sandi did this time, but it was an experience that I didn’t want to relive again, or wish on anyone, even my worst enemy.
When we went to Mexico about six years ago, we all left at the same time, but we came back at different times. The guys had to baby our van back to Crescent City from San Francisco with a battery that had already expired, pulling up to stop signs only to be met by the sounds of silence when they tried to start out again. And, this was when they were just leaving the driveway of the motel where we had stored the van. The experience got worse from there, especially since they were still 362 miles short of Crescent City!
When I came back from Puerta Vallarta I thought I had it timed correctly; from getting off the plane at SFO to allowing enough time to get to the SF bus terminal for the remainder of my trip to Crescent City on the Greyhound. I was planning to sleep all the way back home on the bus, and I was hoping that everyone else on the bus was going to share my sentiments. Long story short, I missed the last bus north. The next bus north? 10:00 a.m. the next morning. This presented a slight problem. I hadn’t anticipated spending the night in San Francisco. San Francisco is known for a lot of different things, most of which I didn’t want to participate in, or even be around. Being in San Francisco may be a very special experience for many people, but considering the variety of people and the number of people, it wasn’t something I was looking forward too, especially at night with no plans of where to go. Being the frugal (I like to think of it as fiscally efficient) person I started looking around the bus station for a place to sleep the night. The choices were limited. All the good places around the bus station were taken, and the not-so-good places were taken too. I thought about staying at a youth hostel as we had stayed at hostels on our trip to Alaska a few years ago. Keep in mind, I am basically pretty fiscally efficient. I knew that I was pushing the envelope of the youth part of youth hostel, but I was willing to suck my gut in and give it a try. I started to look on the local advertising boards for a hostel that was close. Lucky for me there was one just down the street. You’ve got to understand, city streets are MUCH longer than regular streets, especially at night if you happen to find yourself walking and not sure where you're going. First, I called the hostel to see if they had any space left. Unlucky for me, they did. Second, I called a cab. No sooner than I got into the cab at the bus station the cabbie said something unintelligible that must have been muffled by his turban to the effect of, “We’re here.” I swear, if I had taken the time to look around I would probably have seen that I was probably right across the street from the bus station, but, I didn’t, I was still trying to get my seat belt buckled. After giving the guy a $20 bill, of which I was expecting about $19.50 back, considering how far we had traveled, he again mumbled something unintelligible and drove off…quickly.
There I was, in front of an unsigned dented door with what looked like deep claw marks on it, lit only by a single 40 watt light bulb dangling from two wires. Remember, by now it’s 1:00…in the morning…and I don’t really know what direction the bus station is, as I was so intent on getting my seat belt buckled I couldn’t identify which direction we had left from the bus station. And, I didn’t have any more $20 bills, only about 9,237 pesos, of which I wasn’t sure the value of. But, I did know that, chances are, a hostel in San Francisco, or a taxi driver that is wearing a turban isn’t really up on their exchange rates either. From the phone conversation with the hostel I knew that it would cost $16 for a place to sleep. They were somewhat evasive on exactly what kind of place to sleep it was though. After rapping on the door for about 5 minutes I noticed a dark figure looming out of the shadows slowly getting bigger and closer. I upped the rapping to knocking on the door. As the shadow wobbled into the light and came closer I started pounding on the door, just short of yelling. Suddenly, with my unprecedented visionary skills I noticed there was a doorbell with the light burned out. As a last resort I frantically mashed it multiple times until a sleepy voice crackled from a hole underneath the light, “need something?” “YEH, IN,” I croaked back. “Open the door and come in,” the voice calmly answered back. I turned the open door knob and walked in…just before the mangiest cat that I’d ever seen walked by.
This sleepy looking hippy guy took my $16 and pointed to a closed door and said, “There are four bunks in there, take one where there’s not someone in.” Yeh, like I’m going to shove someone out of a bunk bed at 1:30 in the morning! Of course I didn’t want to wake anyone up so I left the door open enough to use the hall light to illuminate an empty top bunk. Bingo! I threw my bag on the top bunk and without getting out of my clothes I jumped up. Too quickly. "Damn," I said to myself, "I forgot to shut the door." I jumped back off the bunk just as the guy on the bottom bunk rolled over, his arm brushing down my leg and grunted something I didn't even want to try to understand. I'm not saying it was planned on his part and he was just feeling friendly, I'm just that I wasn't really prepared for his hospitality and it didn't really make me feel very comfortable. I didn't acknowledge him and quickly shut the door and did the Superman standing vertical broad jump straight up to the top bunk covering 5 vertical feet and 3 horizontal feet in a single bound. Only then did I realize how dark it was. I tried really hard to calm myself, trying to still my heart and quell my nerves. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it may wake up my all too-neighborly neighbor, him thinking that I was somehow ecouraging him with my beating heart. I tried to stretch out and make myself comfortable until I sensed that there wasn't a mattress on the top bunk, just a piece of plywood. My mind kept racing back to the bus station, replaying the not-so-good places looking suddenly looking much better and wondering how long it would take me to find my way back. I jockeyed my bag to the head of the bed wondering to myself, exactly which would be the worse place of the two evils, to put my head where people have put their feet, or put my head where other people have put their head. I propped my head on my bag and swore quietly to myself that when and if I ever got home I would take the hottest shower I could stand with the best flea soap money could buy.
I wish I could tell you I it was quiet and fell asleep and rested peacefully the rest of the night. It wasn't, and I didn't. Just as my heart rate dropped to about 120 bpm the door opened and in walked (stumbled) a guy talking to himself, stinking to high heaven. I pretended to be asleep, all the while keeping not one eye slightly open, but both eyes wide open. I was snoring with both eyes open, not sleeping, just snoring. I watched the guy take 3 quart bottles of Colt .45 Malt Liquor out of the paper bag he carried in and place them neatly beside the lower bunk against the far wall. He leaned on one elbow, unscrewed the cap, and chugged the entire bottle before burping and laying down on the jacket that he had put down as a pillow. Within about 5 minutes of heavy breathing he jumped up and ran across the hall to the bathroom leaving the door open so everyone could hear him relieving himself. Before laying back down he chugged the second bottle. The third bottle he put under his jacket and put his head on it. Within about 2 seconds he was joining the other snorers in the room in an impromptu chorus of loud and out-of-tune snoring. Myself, I was pretty sure even if I could go to sleep I didn't dare let myself go to sleep. I lay awake listening to the snoring, flatulating, and grunting until about 3:00. When I was pretty sure everyone was in their own world I quickly jumped down, quietly opened the door (as if that really mattered), and walked out of the hostel. I waved a cab down and asked him which way to the bus station. He pointed to the where a Greyhound was turning in and said, "Right there." I walked to a coffee shop, bought a cup of coffee, a donut, and a newspaper and pretended like I do this kind of thing every morning.
We also got to see, John Lee Hooker, Jr., the son of, you guessed it, John Lee Hooker, Sr., a great Blues singer.
The highlight of the trip was being able to have breakfast with Glenda. She is closing in on her Bachelors degree this coming May. You’ll be glad to know that she takes her studying very seriously. She even takes her books to breakfast. No wasted time with our sister!
On the way back from San Francisco we were going through Orick and we noticed that they (?) were holding tryouts for the Dallas Cowgirls. I’m sure all the hopeful future Cowgirls will be bringing their best stimulus package with them. Don’t ask me why they’ve chosen to hold tryouts there, but they do get some pretty big names there. In the past we’ve seen such names as ZZ Top, The Beatles, and even the Rolling Stones on the marquee board, so it really wasn’t much of a surprise to see the ad for the Dallas Cowgirls’ tryouts. The only problem is, where everyone stays. The only motel in town, ‘Myrtle’s pay-by-the-hour Motel and Trailer Park’ is hard to find.
Anyway, it was a great quick trip and it’s good to be back home.
Jim
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Reunion 2009
Here's what I posted about the reunion:
In view of the fact that, if you have kids, or are thinking of having kids, or have a work or school schedule that you must consider, or if you don’t need to deal with the previous reasons and you fall into the category of just like to do something memorable on three-day weekends (like who doesn't?)it seems that taking advantage of holidays would be an important consideration. It appears that Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7 this year. I think school starts for us on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
I checked out Florence Keller Park near Crescent City and found out other than the fact that it’s really dark there (duh, it is in the Redwoods), and there are only two spaces with full hookups (and you’d have to wrestle the park host for one of them), and the restroom facilities are like those you may find at an old gas station on I5 somewhere between Sacramento and LA, it’s a great location. Even with all that said, I think that instead of there we should have the reunion at the local KOA. If you follow some of the links on the KOA website you may find yourself coming early and staying longer. There are a ton of things to do around here. OK, you were warned.
The local KOA is just a 2 miles north of CC on 101 and I think it would be a better location. Here’s a link: http://www.koa.com/where/ca/05102/
Here’s a link to a motel on the south side of Crescent City. I know Ben and Illa stayed there in the past. I’ll defer any questions to Illa, but I think it’s a pretty neat and quiet place, unless I’m on the beach cutting wood there. http://www.crescentbeachmotel.com/
Here’s another link to another place on the coast right in Crescent City. http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CECCAHX. This place kind of 'chaps by buns.' They closed of "A" St. to put in their parking lot.
So, let it be written, so let it be said. It will be Friday, Sept. 4 thru Monday, Sept. 7…………......unless Suzi wants it at a different time.
Jim
2009 Reunion Coordinator-elect (we're STILL going through the vetting process)
In view of the fact that, if you have kids, or are thinking of having kids, or have a work or school schedule that you must consider, or if you don’t need to deal with the previous reasons and you fall into the category of just like to do something memorable on three-day weekends (like who doesn't?)it seems that taking advantage of holidays would be an important consideration. It appears that Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7 this year. I think school starts for us on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
I checked out Florence Keller Park near Crescent City and found out other than the fact that it’s really dark there (duh, it is in the Redwoods), and there are only two spaces with full hookups (and you’d have to wrestle the park host for one of them), and the restroom facilities are like those you may find at an old gas station on I5 somewhere between Sacramento and LA, it’s a great location. Even with all that said, I think that instead of there we should have the reunion at the local KOA. If you follow some of the links on the KOA website you may find yourself coming early and staying longer. There are a ton of things to do around here. OK, you were warned.
The local KOA is just a 2 miles north of CC on 101 and I think it would be a better location. Here’s a link: http://www.koa.com/where/ca/05102/
Here’s a link to a motel on the south side of Crescent City. I know Ben and Illa stayed there in the past. I’ll defer any questions to Illa, but I think it’s a pretty neat and quiet place, unless I’m on the beach cutting wood there. http://www.crescentbeachmotel.com/
Here’s another link to another place on the coast right in Crescent City. http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CECCAHX. This place kind of 'chaps by buns.' They closed of "A" St. to put in their parking lot.
So, let it be written, so let it be said. It will be Friday, Sept. 4 thru Monday, Sept. 7…………......unless Suzi wants it at a different time.
Jim
2009 Reunion Coordinator-elect (we're STILL going through the vetting process)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
thinking....
I was looking at this and noticed the lack of "In God We Trust". As i was pondering this, do you think that this phrase was added to our currency because congress in 1864 wanted us to remember that our trust should be in God and not money, and that money is not to replace God? How strange times change in a short 140+ yrs.
As i think about the economic situation, I was thinking that most of our problems with todays economy is the lack of trusting in God to be our provider. I know that for myself that its very easy to do this, and let myself get all freked out about it. Something that Peter reminded me of was "This world is not our home".
If you were to count out $1,000,000,000,000. it would take 39,000 years.
Just a thought
Dick
Monday, February 2, 2009
New Art
Just thought that I'd let you all know that I've finished a couple color pencil artworks. They aren't related to my story, but I thought that maybe someone would like to see them (by the way, a lot of things are available as prints). All you have to do is click on the linked text.
Arts and stuffs! ;)
Hopefully Athena will have time to do some more art to upload to her gallery soon.
~Teresa
Arts and stuffs! ;)
Hopefully Athena will have time to do some more art to upload to her gallery soon.
~Teresa
Sunday, February 1, 2009
SUPPER BOWL
Who is going to watch the game and who are you rooting for. GO STEELERS!!!!!
Bet I'll know before you.
Peter, you know I love it when you tease me. Don't ever worry about this sister taking offence. I just wish I was better giving it back. Jim, Ben and Dick make it easy but you being the ELDER brother, we do own you (a little) respect.
Just talked to Rick, he said 10 teams have been laid off and all of the solo drivers. Everyone is getting really nervous. It is usually slow this time of year but our company for the first time says things are not looking good for the future. Another 2 major truck companies are closing down. When it hits home it gets pretty hairy.
It is like spring time here today but we are suppose to get a snow storm by tomorrow. Right now it is beautiful.
Bet I'll know before you.
Peter, you know I love it when you tease me. Don't ever worry about this sister taking offence. I just wish I was better giving it back. Jim, Ben and Dick make it easy but you being the ELDER brother, we do own you (a little) respect.
Just talked to Rick, he said 10 teams have been laid off and all of the solo drivers. Everyone is getting really nervous. It is usually slow this time of year but our company for the first time says things are not looking good for the future. Another 2 major truck companies are closing down. When it hits home it gets pretty hairy.
It is like spring time here today but we are suppose to get a snow storm by tomorrow. Right now it is beautiful.
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