Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

Taking a breath

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Monday – 26 April 2021
As I write this – 34,000 feet above… wherever I am… I am reflecting on the whirlwind of the past weekend.

A few weeks ago, I received my second COVID-19 vaccination. At the time that I had scheduled it, Sara suggested that I should go visit my mother. I couldn’t fault her logic and that’s what I did. Among other things.

I flew into BWI Thursday afternoon, arriving much later than planned, thanks to a mechanical issue with my outbound flight.


I had made plans with three of my Godparents’ kids – and my three oldest friends – to meet up at our aunt’s house as a surprise to her. It’s been over 15 years since the four of us have been in the same place at the same time. Unfortunately, my flight delay caused me to miss seeing one of them. But, the surprise for my aunt worked all the same, as she didn’t connect the dots as to why three of “her kids” just showed up so unexpectedly. (I later found out that she had attributed the arrival of two of them to having recently talked with their mother.) When I showed up, she was surprised. Again. She even asked if I knew that the others would be there. I smiled and simply told her, “I told them to be here.” It was great to see everyone.

Leaving there, I took “the back way” from her house to my father’s. I knocked on the door and my father answered. I told him that I thought I might have taken a wrong turn somewhere. He laughed at that and ushered me into the house. Surprise #2: CHECK!

Years ago, when my paternal grandmother was alive, I’d occasionally drive from North Carolina to West Virginia to visit her for the day. I’d often arrive unannouced, so that she wouldn’t go to a lot of trouble preparing lunch for me. (Surprising no one, she still wound up feeding me well whenever I did that.) Since I’d showed up unexpectedly in Baltimore, I figured that I could get away with a light something to eat. My father is most definitely my grandmother’s son. Within minutes, he’d prepared a meal of mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, sweet potatoes, and rice. Again, I ate well.

The next morning I woke up – perhaps a bit more leisurely than I had originally intended – and watched the finale of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” I had some speculation as to how the series might/should end and had decided to prepare the day’s #CapesAndCoffee Instagram post to reflect that. I also posted it Thursday night, so that they were still firmly in the “fan speculation” camp, rather than the “Spoilers, Sweetie…” camp.

After getting ready, I stopped by my Godsister, Tammy’s, house and basically told her “Get in, Loser. We’re going to North Carolina for the weekend. She needed some time away, after dealing with the recent loss of her mother. She fought me for a while, but eventually decided to go, after her husband agreed that a change of pace might do her good.

The drive to NC was good. And slow. Construction traffic slow. Extra hour-and-a-half construction traffic slow. Fortunately, I had Tammy with me. We gabbed the whole way down.

We arrived at my mother’s just as they were getting ready for dinner. The look of surprise on her face as she saw the two of us at the dinner table was priceless and easily worth all the Secret Squirrel-like efforts it took to keep my trip a secret.

Saturday, I drove into Greensboro to meet my friend, Don, for lunch. While waiting, I stopped in to visit my old comic shop stomping grounds, Acme Comics. It was fun to be in familiar (though updated and different) surroundings. When Don walked in, the manager immediately recognized him and we all chatted for a bit.

Our original lunch choice had a longer wait than either of us wanted, so we went to Mac’s Speed Shop – a barbecue place. The food was good, but again, the company was better. Over lunch, I noted to Don that we actually met 31 years ago (plus or minus a couple of weeks) from this weekend. At Acme Comics. Trippy.

After we parted ways, I ran an errand for my sister and headed home. On the way, I called William, a friend with whom I also hadn’t seen/spoken with in a while. As we chatted, I remembered that he lived on the way back to Mom’s… if I changed my course a little. So I did. As I got nearer to the address that I remembered, I realized something: He’d moved in the past few years. Bugger. I didn’t remember “where” that was, although I knew that it was in the same rough area. I pulled off the road I was on, into a cul-de-sac, to get the new address. As I pulled further into the circle, I saw a truck. With the logo of the company William works for on the side. That’s right, serendipity and/or dumb luck put me at his front door.

I went in and saw William, his wife, and his youngest son… whom I hadn’t seen since he was roughly Team DiVa’s age. I also noted to William that we’d met 31 years ago, when he worked at Acme. William then called his daughter, my Goddaughter Britney (so named long before Ms. Spears became a household name) and turned the phone in my direction. She told me to hold on, she was coming over, as she only lived a few miles down the road. I hadn’t seen her in about the same number of years. She also introduced me to her husband and toddler. (I told William that he must be getting old.) It was yet another good reunion.

Back home to hang out with the family. I also installed a new shower head (the errand). We watched part of the memorial for DMX, which was something of a hot mess. And by “something,” I mean “totally.” We used Mortal Kombat as a palate cleanser. It was, as Don had called it, “big, dumb fun.”

Sunday afternoon saw Tammy and me back on the road, heading home. She admitted that she didn’t realize just how good that was for her and how much she needed it. She even told me that I won that round. I told her that I wasn’t trying to win, I was just trying to help.

The drive back was marred by the revelation that my old familiar stop in Richmond – Friendly’s Restaurant – was no longer there. (There are actually NO Friendly’s in Virginia these days, apparently. Mood: CRUSHED. I was able to ease the pain with a chocolate-dipped cone from the Dairy Queen one exit further up the road. Traffic then got a bit dodgy, not because of construction, but because of a couple of accidents. It wasn’t as stop-and-go as the construction traffic on the way to North Carolina, but it did go from freeway speed to 45 MPH more than “a few” times.

After dropping Tammy off, I called a cousin with whom I hadn’t spoken in far too long. He was at his sister’s house, not far from my father’s… so I stopped in to see them both.

Turns out that we haven’t seen each other in over 15 years! This was also made evident as I was introduced to two of my second cousins, both of whom had been born in that time.

Back home. More food.

This morning, I got ready, packed, and took my father – my stepmother wasn’t up for it – out to breakfast at Miss Shirley’s. I had a delicious omelet with lump crab meat. Crab. Not Krab. Straight out of the bay. Did I mention that it was delicious? Because, it was. I dropped Dad back at home, said “Goodbye” to the parents and headed back to the airport.

But, wait! There’s more!

My flight to Salt Lake City had a stopover in Detroit. I got to see Amy – former Utah resident and Evie’s breeder – for the first time in five years!

She brought a very tasty gyro and coffee(!) with her. We didn’t have a lot of time to spend, but it was great to see her.

Back to the airport and on to SLC. At this point, we’re about forty-five minutes from landing.

To say that this was a good weekend would be a horrible understatement. Seeing my mother was the main point of this trip. Sure, I’ve been able to see and talk with her online, but to BE there and talk with her was on an entirely different level. Add to that the fact that I was able to:

  • Surprise BOTH sets of parents…
  • AND surprise my aunt (not just me, but also with the others!)…
  • AND see so many other family members and friends…
  • AND be able to give my grieving Godsister a couple days’ respite and breathing room?

All of these things together were a great balm for the mind, body, and soul.

Namaste.

My Private Idaho

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Wednesday – 07 August 2019
This past weekend (okay, Sunday through Tuesday), Sara, Team DiVa, and my in-laws hit the open road for Idaho. For years, Sara’s family has gone to the Stanley, ID area for vacation and we’ve been passing this tradition along to the next generation.

Sidebar: Back in 2008, Sara first invited me to go on this trip with her and her family. Camping. I’m not really a camping guy. In fact, on a call with a friend from home, when I told him that I was going camping, his first response was laughter. Loud, raucous laughter. Then he asked me what I was really going to be doing. I told him again. Again, he laughed. So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I put Sara on the phone. The exchange went something like this:

Sara: Hey! How’s it going.

[chatter on the other end]

Sara: Yeah, Rob really is going camping with us…

[chatter on the other end]

What I learned after the phone call was that the second bit of chatter was actually this bit of conversation:

“You do realize that Rob’s idea of ‘camping’ is to go to a hotel, open a window, and listen to the crickets, right?”

Which pretty much summed up my concept of “camping” to a tee. And, I’m not going to lie, after that and another camping trip, my opinion didn’t really change. In fact, I told Sara after the second trip that I would be more than happy to accompany her family on the third year’s trip… but that I would be staying in a cabin or the lodge.

Which. Actually.  Happened.  (True story.)

But, I digress…

This year, Sara once again found a lovely little AirBNB for us:

The Cabin

Two bedrooms, one and three-quarters bathrooms, nice kitchen, dining, and living rooms, and a porch with a sling/swing. I was duly impressed. She’s actually three-for-three at finding AirBNBs in an area where I would have otherwise sworn would have had nothing of the kind.

Sunday afternoon, we unpacked the car and headed back into town – I use “town” in the broadest sense, as it is a “population center” with very little population:

Stanley, ID

 

Yep, you read that right: “Population: Sixty-three.”

Sara and I picked up fishing licenses and then we were off to the races – or the river – to let little girls fish with their new rods. There were fish in the water, but none of them were really biting. Sara managed to get a strike, but couldn’t land the fish. After about 30 or so minutes, impatience wore down the little ladies’ resolve and they decided to try and skip stones on the water. Shortly after that, we headed back to the cabin to wind down from the day.

The next morning began with scones and bacon and Lucky Charms (for DiVa). Then we headed to the Salmon River to give the girls another shot at catching a fish. No such luck, but we did see a bald eagle. And a water snake. Back to the cabin for a bit of lunch and then, off to Redfish Lake for fun in the water.

Some of you may recall that Team DiVa had a lemonade stand on July 4th. They did this to raise money to buy a couple of large floats – a unicorn and a flamingo. This trip saw their maiden voyages.

Back to the cabin for a quick change into dry clothes and then on to the Yankee Fork River for another attempt at fishing and a nature hike. And then, back to Stanley for dinner at Papa Brunee’s Pizza and Subs.

Tuesday morning, we got up, breakfasted, and got ready to return to the hustle and bustle of our regular lives.

I might not be a huge camping and outdoors kind of guy, but it really was nice to get away for a couple of days to unwind and recharge. Here’s to next year’s adventures and the new voyages of the SS Alicorn and HMS Pink Flamingo.

A few moments’ quiet…

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Tuesday – 26 June 2018
I’m at home today with a pair of young ladies who are getting over fevers. They just finished lunch and are hanging out in the living room. So, I’m going to jot down a few things, while it’s quiet – and, more importantly, while I’m not being summoned.

Three weeks ago, we went to Boise for Sara’s grandmother’s funeral.

 

I didn’t meet her until she was in her mid-80s; even then, she was more active that some 20-somethings I knew. That didn’t stop over the time that I knew her, either. (For example, she didn’t stop driving until two years ago, and then only because her eyesight had deteriorated to the point of making it… “somewhat untenable.”) Just listening to some of the rather amazing adventures she undertook was enough to make one tired.

It was a somber occasion, but it was good to see members of Sara’s side of the family with whom we don’t often get to visit. Added bonuses: Getting to spend time with friends in the Boise area whom we don’t get to see that often, as well.

We also took the opportunity to make another stop at Shoshone Falls on the way home.

Two weeks ago, I got to spend an evening with my Godmother, whom I haven’t seen since before I moved out here. She and her husband were visiting Utah for the first time and they spent a week traipsing around central and southern Utah. The occasion also marked the first time they met Sara and the girls. It was fantastic seeing them and catching up on things.

Otherwise, the past couple of weeks have been pretty quiet and uneventful.

Stray Toasters

I fed the ladies, I should probably find something for me to eat, too… while it’s still (relatively) quiet.

Yeah… that’s about to happen. Right. Now.

“I turn my back to the wind, to catch my breath, before I start off again…”

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Monday – 28 May 2018
Today is Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.History.com

Stray Toasters

.eof

Yes, thank you! May I have another?!

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Friday – 25 May 2018

I am ready for the long weekend. ‘Nuff said.

Stray Toasters

  • From our Mother’s Day Southern Utah Parks Tour:
  • Ostracised and Fetishised: The Perils of Travelling as a Young Black Woman
  • The NFL continues to be a mess. I’m going to wind up not watching this season, either, at this rate.
    • This saddens me for many reasons, not the least of which is the complete missteps that have been taken with respect to players’ rights to silently protest and the League’s response. But also, Torrey Smith, former Raven has been traded to the Carolina Panthers, meaning that I have a reason to watch him play again.
  • Black sergeant was ‘loyal klansman’
  • I saw Solo: A Star Wars Movie a few nights ago. I liked it. I should get around to reviewing it and Avengers: Infinity War one of these days…
  • The Sky Was No Limit: The WASP Women Pilots of WWII
  • A couple weeks ago, I had a couple of odd things reach a weird personal convergence:
    • I learned that a coworker spent part of his mission in my mother’s hometown. Yeah, a small town in West Virginia that few have heard of and fewer still have been to. He spent six months there.
    • Later that same day, Sara and I watched Logan Lucky. Turns out that part of the movie was also set “somewhere” in West Virginia.
  • This is how the federal government made a Star Wars tweet go viral
    • Hat tip to my friend Denise for this amusing look at life above the 54′-40º.

End-of-the-week musings

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Friday – 21 April 2017
Another week comes to an end.
And, apparently, it’s been a month since I dusted off the trusty blog. I really need to get better about this…

In short: It’s been a good – and eventful – month. The highlights of the month include, but are not limited to:

  • Going on a business trip.
  • Surprising my parents by showing up on their doorstep on the first leg of the trip.
  • Meeting some new coworkers on the trip.
  • Getting to visit with my uncle towards the end of the trip.
  • Coming down with some travel-related bug that had me down for almost a week.
  • The start of baseball season and the O’s getting off to a great start. Hopefully, they’ll keep some of this momentum through the season.
  • Meeting a Twitter and Facebook friend.
  • TRAINS!  Well, getting to head up to the train.. museum(?)… and one of my favorite train shops.
  • Traveling to Boise to visit family and friends over Easter.

    Sara, Team DiVa, and Grandmother – Easter 2017

  • Watching Team DiVa hunt for Easter eggs while we were gone and seeing their surprise at discovering that the Easter Bunny had apparently left Easter baskets for them at our home while we were out of town.

I’m sure that I’m leaving more than “a couple” things out, but all-in-all, it really has been a good month.

Stray Toasters

And with that…

So Long, Farewell, Goodbye.
(Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, not “The Sound of Music”)

Politically incorrect… or terminally awesome?

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Thursday – 16 March 2017
Another Thursday begins here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.

Don’t nobody bring me…

Let the word go forth.

A month or so ago, I was introduced to a lovely/horrible game (read: “time sink”) called GeoGuessr by my friend, Denise. (Not sure whether to give her credit or blame for this…) Do you like pictures? Do you like maps? Do you like figuring out where on a map a picture is from? This is the game for you.

Thanks to this game, I have now discovered a place, in The Phillipines, where I either want to be buried or have my ashes spread:

C’mon, with a name like this, who wouldn’t want to be buried/have their ashes spread here!? No one. Well, maybe not “alt-right” supremecists, but that’s a discussion for another time and forum.

I think that the only thing that could possibly be better would be to either be buried with these or figure out a way to make them work with cremation/ash spreading:

I found them in a grocery store in southern Utah many years ago. Apparently, they still make me laugh.

Namaste.

Catching up.

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Monday – 20 February 2017
Today is President’s Day in the U.S.

For my President’s Day #morningcoffee picture, I used Lex Luthor. Because I could.

Today was a slightly busier-than-planned day, but still very good. Team DiVa, after sleeping in until after 9:30 on Sunday morning, were up at 7:30 this morning – Diana decided to play with the Kindle, while Vanessa decided that crawling into our bed was her best option. (To be honest, I still appreciate getting kid cuddles when I can, as I know that they won’t last forever.)

After breakfast (cinnamon rolls!), it was a kind of lazy morning… until 10:30, when I got an email from work.

<sarcasm>
Yay.
</sarcasm>

So, I did what any diligent IT guy would do: I made like Kool Moe Dee and I went to work. I got there and looked at the system in question, only to find that there was nothing wrong. At. All.

*grblsnrkx*

Back home in time to surprise Team DiVa with a trip to the theatre to see The LEGO Batman Movie. It was a big hit. (Sara and I enjoyed it, too.) Back home again before heading up to Park City for…

…dinner with Liz, a high school classmate:

With Liz (photobomb by Maya)

We met at the Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City, where Liz and her family are staying this week. It’s the first time we’ve seen each other since high school graduation. We had a nice dinner and caught up a little bit on the last three decades. (Man, it really seems like a long time when you put it that way…)

Diana, Liz, and Vanessa

 

Liz, Maya, and Michael

 

Diana, Maya, and Vanessa

After dinner, said our goodbyes and headed back to Salt Lake City. We got little ladies ready for bed, took care of a couple of chores, I caught up on a couple episodes of The Flash, including one that I somehow missed about three weeks ago.

And that brings us to now.

Stray Toasters

Tomorrow comes soon, I should probably start considering hitting the rack.

Namaste.

“Burn Down the Mission…”

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Wednesday – 11 January 2017
Yesterday was a troubled day. I was of ill humor for the better part of the day, thanks to external forces.

I resolved to bend. Not break.

I also had a seemingly all-too-rare John Stewart moment (1, 2):

Some bridges need to be burned.

Reflecting on that, I even carried the thought further: Some bridges need to be burned – not only to keep you from going backwards – to keep others from dragging you back.

I also realized that in some cases, I don’t just want or even need to burn the bridge, I want to do it so the bridge burns and those on it are purged in the cleansing fire.

I’m not looking back, but I want to look around me now.

Despite being overcast and rainy and this morning’s comedy of errors – I overslept, spilled a LOT of water on the floor while trying to change the water filter in the refrigerator, and spilled a bit of coffee on myself right before leaving home – today has been much better and I’ve solved a work-related problem that contributed to Tuesday’s irritation. These are wins and I’ll gladly take them.

Stray Toasters

  • This weekend, I stumbled across the Wisconsin-Purdue basketball game and decided to watch it. About 1/3 of the way into the first half, Vanessa came in, sat down, asked what I was doing, and who I wanted to win the game. I explained that I wanted the Boilermakers to win and why – I went to school there. She was so surprised/excited by this, for some reason, she raced out of the room to tell Diana. Mission accomplished, she came back and watched most of the game. Enthusiastically cheering when Purdue scored, not-quite-booing when the Badgers scored. Diana came in for a fair portion of the second half. It was great. We might have to attend a local game and see if that holds their interest as much.
  • Sometimes, working with  a view of the mountains and the airport’s take-off/approach path doesn’t totally suck.
    • Last week, I saw Southwest Airlines’ Maryland One landing. Sure, it’s not really a little slice of home, but it was close enough for me. It surprised me, though, as I didn’t know that SWA was still flying unique liveries like that. I’ll have to keep an eye out for others.

      picture (c) Smithsonian Institution

  • Stan Lee – and other guests whom I wouldn’t mind seeing – was just announced as coming to Salt Lake Comic Con FanX in March…
  • #AlwaysForward
  • Everything really is awesome: The Daily LEGO Project finds the whimsy in everyday objects
  • The Jackal
  • I’m almost done with Dragonflight, the first book in the “Dragonriders of Pern” series. I’ve been enjoying it, despite a few questions I’m sure that almost any Pern-related wiki could answer… but I’m hoping that they play out in the story.
  • 5%
  • I can find music by Yoko Kanno and/or “a band called The Seatbelts” on Spotify, but neither of them are Cowboy Bebop-related, unfortunately.
  • I might play with my trains a bit this evening…
  • …there might even be whiskey involved.

.eof

Memory Dump

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Wednesday – 12 October 2016
Stuff and things and whatnot.

Namaste.

 

 

 

Wait. That’s not a proper post. I really should do one of those someday…

I guess that since I’m logged in, I should make like Nike and “just do it.” Now.

*cracks knuckles*
::: deep breath :::

The past few weeks have been good. Work’s been interesting. The company I work for has been (officially) purchased by a larger entity. So far, things are remaining status quo. I also got to spend about 36 hours on the east coast, thanks to a business trip. I was pleasantly surprised at how “green” things still were – I expected to see far more fall colors. Oh, well. That was only a slight disappointment, to be honest.

Team DiVa continues to astound and entertain me.

There was even a seven-year-anniversary in there, too.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Hell: The Musical

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Monday – 18 July 2016
It’s the day after National Ice Cream Day and, for my sin of gluttony, I think I’m going to Hell.

Okay, that’s not entirely true.

Yes, yesterday was National Ice Cream Day.
Yes, I did eat ice cream.
Yes, I ate “quite a bit” of ice cream.
(And, yes, there’s still a lot of ice cream in our freezer.)

But, those are not the reasons I probably have an eTicket to Hell reserved in my name. Like so many others, my road to Hell was paved with good intentions. And it even started so innocuously. Need proof? Here it is:

Earlier, I received an email with a link to this article: Incredibly Epic Statue of Ancient Chinese Warrior God Unveiled. And they weren’t just whistling Dixie (or any other song, for that matter); this statue is rather epic. Bonus points for truth in advertising. Seriously, check out this statue:

Guan Yu - photo (c) CCTV News China

Guan Yu – photo (c) CCTV News China

So, I’m looking at this statue when, out of the blue, a thought pops into my head:

Battle of the Titans: Guan Yu vs. Big Butter Jesus!

 

It proceeded to go downhill from there. Rapidly.

For the unfamiliar, here’s some information about Big Butter Jesus and here’s a look at His Oleo Holiness:

Big Butter Jesus - photo (c) The Huffington Post

Big Butter Jesus – photo (c) The Huffington Post

I know what you’re thinking: “That’s, quite obviously, a statue of Jesus… and it’s not made of butter.” You’re right. It is and it isn’t, in that order. So, how did it wind up with the sobriquet “Big Butter Jesus?” Because of Heywood Banks and this song:

So, yes, thanks to a couple of giant statues, Heywood Banks, and the way my mind is wired, I’m going to Hell. Handbasket. Gasoline draws. At least I’ll have something to listen to on the way there:

Namaste.

Trip to Cascade Springs

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Monday – 13 June 2016
Yesterday, we trekked back down to Utah County and into the Uintah National Forest in an attempt to (finally) visit Cascade Springs. This time, we were successful!

The trip started off well enough, driving into the canyon. As the road ascended slightly, things continued to proceed apace. As the road climbed higher and we started hitting more switchbacks, I became “a little less okay.” A little bit of backstory:

  • I grew up in states that are, for the most part, pretty damned flat.
  • When, in these states, roads rise (reasonably) in elevation and/or border a sharp drop, there are guard rails on the shoulder.
  • On one of my first visits to Utah, I was taken up Little Cottonwood Canyon, to Snowbird. It was on this trip that I discovered what I considered – and continue to consider – Utah’s laissez faire attitude towards winding roads and guard rails. I found this mildly disturbing.
  • A year or two after moving here, I was taken for a picnic overlooking the Bingham Canyon Mine. The road to the picnic spot was roughly a car-and-a-half wide for two-way traffic; I didn’t deal with that very well. (I’ve been told that it’s amusing/disturbing to see a black man white-knuckling the “Oh Shit Bar” over the window.) I was disturbed enough by the ride up that I did to not want to eat, though I did look at the excavation pit. And it was a very quiet ride back down.
  • Years later, I went for a drive up to the C Overlook, in Cedar City. Again, no guard rails. I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but the road was wide enough to give me a modicum of comfort.
  • Shortly after that, Sara took me up to Cedar Breaks, near Cedar City. Most of that ride was fine, although there were a couple of sections of road that had far more of a “scenic view” than I generally care for, but I managed the trip alright.
    • I got a measure of revenge a few year later by inflicting that same ride on my brother-in-law, John. He had the same rough reaction that I did, so I felt nominally better about things.

All of that to say that I have a healthy respect for gravity and my as-yet undiscovered ability to fly without an airplane. (I’m absolutely fine with traveling in planes, though.) That, combined with a lack of rails and only small berms on the sides of the roads, meant that I was “quiet and pensive, my thoughts apprehensive…” for portions of the trip.

Apparently, that’s a trait that Vanessa has inherited from me, as she was rather vocal about her displeasure and discomfort over some sections of the roads we had to take. Diana, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less… other than “it [was] taking too long.”

Sara and I reassured her that she had nothing to worry about. (True, although I fully grokked her apprehension.) But, we both dealt with it – I’ve always said that Vanessa would make a great Green Lantern – and finally reached our destination.

Team DiVa at Cascade Springs

Team DiVa at Cascade Springs

Pictures of our walkabout can be seen here.

It was a very nice spot and we only walked the smaller loop, as the longer one would have been a bit long for the little ladies. Then we were done and ready to head home. Vanessa and I steeled ourselves for the trek back to civilization. until we noted that there was another road that headed over a different ridge and came out near Midway and Heber. At this point, Sara was up for it and I figured that it couldn’t be much worse than the trip in…

…and it wasn’t!

Sure, the road was once more guard rail-free AND it was a dirt road, but it was about three car widths wide in most places. Hallelujah! We made the bumpy not-nearly-as-fast-as-we’d-expected journey down the mountain. We ate lunch at the Hub Cafe, just off the main drag in Heber. After lunch, it was time to head home.

All-in-all, it was a good trip, but if we do it again, I’d probably opt for taking the road through Heber, rather than the forest.

A few thoughts on family and funerals…

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Wednesday – 05 April 2016
I am writing wrote this on an airplane. I spent the last three days at home in Maryland. I went home for a grandparent’s funeral – my stepmother’s mother. It wasn’t completely unexpected, but it is never pleasant. Of my step-grandmother, I can honestly say this: At no time in the forty odd years that my father and stepmother have been married, she never treated me differently than any of her other grandchildren. Ever. And she was a loving great-grandmother to my girls, as well. She was a lovely woman and a genuinely good person. She will be missed. Greatly.

grandma anderson

Taken a three years ago…

I didn’t make any concrete plans while I was in Baltimore… for the most part. Of course, I was going to get crab cakes – living in a landlocked state made that something of an imperative. But, I also wanted to get together with a few people, schedules permitting. That part worked out reasonably well. I wasn’t able to connect with a few of my former classmates, but I was able to spend time with family. And, that was fantastic.

Sunday night, when I got in,  was able to spend three-plus hours talking with my father and brother. Opportunities like that are far and few between, as we live in different parts of the country. The conversation ranged over a number of topics, but it was great to just be able to sit in the same room and talk with the two of them.

Monday, after the funeral proceedings, I went out to visit an aunt and uncle. I didn’t them that I was in town, nor that I was coming out for a visit. That might sound a bit presumptuous, but I have what I consider a very good reason for that:

Before I moved out west, I would occasionally take a day trip to my paternal grandmother’s; she lived about three hours from where I lived. I would show up and there would be a spread of food laid out for me. I appreciated that, but hated that she went to the work for me to be there for an hour or two.  So, I stopped calling before heading to her house. That served a few purposes:

  1. She didn’t worry about me being on the road,
  2. She didn’t spend part of her day preparing a meal for me,
  3. I got to give her an unexpected surprise, and
  4. If she wasn’t at home – as happened a couple of times – she didn’t feel bad about missing me AND I got a great afternoon’s scenic excursion out of the deal.

So, as I noted, I didn’t tell my aunt and uncle I was coming by. This turned out to be equally fortuitous. Apparently, my aunt was having a kind of a “down” day and needed a boost, which she said my visit provided. (WIN!) I also got to sit and talk with them for a couple of hours, which was fantastic. I got to hear a few stories about when I was little and I was also treated to a story from (and about) my uncle that neither I nor my aunt had heard before.

Tuesday was a little more open-scheduled. We slept in and then met another aunt and cousin for lunch. We were going to go to one of my old haunts, but it wasn’t open for lunch. My sister suggested a nearby option, that also had seafood. Good call. Actually, excellent call. After that, my brother and I decided to walk over to the Inner Harbor and do a little shopping. We also had a chance to talk one-on-one, face-to-face. We also walked up Federal Hill, to get pictures of the skyline.

The Inner Harbor (taken from Federal Hill)

The Inner Harbor (taken from Federal Hill)

 

That evening, I made plans to meet my god-sister at her parents’ house. We talked for about an hour and a half, before she had to leave. After that, I sat and talked with my godparents for the next four hours. Again, I got to hear stories and learn a few things. I consider it time well-spent. By the time I got home, it was well after midnight… And my entire family was still awake. That was a not-so-minor surprise. And we proceeded to talk for the next couple of hours.

This morning Yesterday, my parents, siblings, and I went out for breakfast. I can’t recall the last time that the five of us – just the five of us – were able to do that.

Breakfast with the family...

Breakfast with the family.

It has to have been nearly twenty years, if not more. Again, time well-spent. We said goodbye to the ladies at the restaurant and headed to the airport with my father. All too soon, my time at home was at an end.

Despite the reason for us getting together, I had an amazing time with family and extended family. It also punctuated how valuable they are to me. It also made me even more appreciative of the fact that Sara, the girls, and I were able to go to Boise over Easter and visit her grandmother… who has become my sole remaining grandparent.

Namaste.

“He’s not concerned with yesterday, he knows constant change is here to stay…”

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Thursday – 25 February 2016
Another fine day in the valley…

Long story, short version: Stuff. Things. Adventure.

The slightly less-abridged version is: I woke up a little early and did a short workout with dumbbells and a Swiss ball this morning. I went to work , dealt with the usual things, dealt with one not-so-usual-anymore thing, and even wound up having a coworker decide to have “Neal Day” and wear a suit in my honor.

Suited

Changing the work dress code, one coworker at a time…

Sara pinged me in the late afternoon to ask if I’d mind picking up Team DiVa, as she had to work late. That also put me in (nominal) charge of figuring out what to do for dinner. I delegated that responsibility to the little ladies. We wound up going to McDonald’s. It wasn’t a total loss, though, as they asked if we could eat there, so they could play in the PlaySpace. (An easy way to make my kids happy? Bet.)

After dinner, we arrived at home a couple minutes before Sara. Sometime between her getting a bite to eat and giving the girls a bath, I fell asleep. Quickly and rather deeply asleep. I missed bath time, but I was up for pre-bedtime prep.

The little ones are now asleep. I have read comics. And, I do believe that there is a nominal amount of gaming in the evening’s future. Selah.

Stray Toasters

And, with that, it’s time to figure out what game to play…

Namaste.

Tuesday Musings

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Tuesday – 25 August 2015
Today is my “Monday,” due to staying home with a sick little girl (and a non-sick one) yesterday. I thought that I might be able to squeeze in a bit of work, but opted to just hang out with them. And, in my humble opinion, that was the best call. We had a fun day. And, last night, we assembled a play castle for them.

The started decorating it last night. And resumed this morning, after breakfast.

Over the weekend, we also took them on their first visits to a trampoline park (for a friend’s birthday) and to the “planet museum,” as they have taken to calling the Clark Planetarium. Both were fairly big hits, although Vanessa was definitely not a fan of the “motion” in the movie – Perfect Little Planet – in the planetarium dome. To be fair, I don’t suffer from motion sickness, but I could easily understand how someone could succumb to it while watching that film.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.